The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating an E. coli outbreak involving people who ate raw cake mix batter.
The outbreak has infected at least 16 women and girls across 12 states, including 7 who were hospitalized and one who developed a type of kidney failure called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS).
In interviews with health officials, 6 victims reported tasting raw cake batter made from store-bought cake mix under a variety of brands. No single brand has been identified, so no recalls have been issued yet.
The states where illnesses have been reported include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and Washington state.
The illnesses were reported between February 26 and June 21, but the outbreak may still be ongoing because more recent illnesses may not have been reported yet.
In the meantime, the CDC is warning against eating raw cake batter. This includes homemade cake batter and store-bought cake mix batter that contain raw flour.
Flour is a raw ingredient that is not heat-treated to kill disease-causing bacteria, such as E. coli, according to the CDC.
Source: E. coli Outbreak Linked to Cake Mix
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