Trendy Raw Cookie Dough Made Students Sick, Lawsuit Claims

"Safe" raw cookie dough is all the rage these days thanks to highly frequented shops like Cookie DŌ in New York City. But now, the company is being sued by two teens who claim they fell ill after consuming the shop's dessert. The New York Post reports that Julia Canigiani and Katherine Byrne, both students at Manhattan College, filed the lawsuit on Sept. 21 claiming they were "deceived" by the raw confectionary.

DŌ NYC, which has over 180,000 followers on Instagram, claims their products are "completely safe to eat" because of "heat-treated" flour and pasteurized eggs. The company clearly states that there is absolutely no chance of contracting salmonella or any other foodborne illness from its products. "At last, worry-free treats you can't get sick from!" their website exclaims.

But Canigiani and Byrne, both 19, claim that they — along with a third friend uninvolved in the lawsuit — became violently ill after visiting the store in March. Canigiani said that within 15 minutes of eating DŌ's ice cream "Sandōwich," she felt stomach pains that later turned into diarrhea. Byrne alleges that she experienced heartburn and a stomachache through the night and into the next day, according to the New York Post.

Bloomberg says that the lawsuit does not seek specific damages, noting only that "there's an aggregate amount in controversy exceeding $5 million."

In an email, a DŌ spokesperson told The Daily Meal:  "We stand behind the safety of our products and our representations about our products. We will fully and faithfully defend ourselves against any and all false accusations. The health and happiness of our customers has, and always will be, a top priority." 

We taste-tested 11 fully cooked chocolate chip cookies — and this was the best one.