The E. coli strain "has not been detected in our product," Nestle said in a statement announcing the recall. But people "who have purchased these products should not consume them. Instead, we are asking that consumers return these products to their local grocer for a full refund."

Raw cookie dough is, to many of us, tastier than the cookies themselves, but Nestle advises on its packages that people shouldn't eat it raw.

Usually, though, it's OK to do so (or at least so we thought) with one exception: homemade raw cookie dough. As the people at WiseGeek point out, the homemade stuff contains raw eggs, which can pose a real danger.

The outbreak "points to the need for better funding for health surveillance," said lawyer Bill Marler, who sues food companies for a living. Oddly quoting himself on his blog, Marler wrote that the " 'fact that this outbreak was not detected until more than sixty people were ill in 28 states is precisely why we urgently need increased funding for the agencies responsible for public health,' said Marler. 'From the CDC to state and local health agencies, many dedicated people are working hard to protect consumers from tainted food, but they just don't have enough resources to do the job we ask of them.' "

Marler also posted a list of the particular products that have been recalled.