ST. GEORGE — General Mills is warning consumers not to eat uncooked dough or uncooked batter made with raw flour after conducting tests on batches of its flour and discovering E. Coli in small samples.
“At this time, it is unknown if we are experiencing a higher prevalence of E.coli in flour than normal, if this is an issue isolated to General Mills’ flour, or if this is an issue across the flour industry,” a press release from General Mills said. “The newer detection and genome sequencing tools are also possibly making a connection to flour that may have always existed at these levels.”
Flour is an ingredient that is not intended to be eaten raw. Flour is made from wheat that is grown outdoors where bacteria are often present and the normal flour milling process does not remove these bacteria.
In order for severe E. coli illness to occur from flour, all three of the following things have to happen:
- The flour a consumer is using has to contain the rare sub-types of E.coli that can make you sick.
- The consumer has to eat raw dough, batter or other uncooked food made with the flour, or handle the raw dough and not wash one’s hands.
- The consumer’s individual health characteristics will have an impact on if a person gets sick and how severely. Some consumers have mild symptoms and others get very sick. It is not always known who will get sick and who will not.
“As a leader in flour production for 150 years, General Mills is committed to convening experts to work with government officials to learn more and create new protocols, if needed,” General Mills President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Harmening said. “Most importantly, we want all the avid home bakers out there to have peace of mind and know the most important thing they can do to keep safe is to not eat uncooked flour.”
Previously announced recalled flour production dates ranged from November 4, 2015, through December 4, 2015. The expansion announced today includes select production dates through February 10, 2016. The new recall applies only to the specific product and date codes listed below.
| 13.5 ounce Gold Medal Wondra | |
| Package UPC | 000-16000-18980 |
| Recalled Better if Used by Dates | 14MAY2017PK |
| 2lb Gold Medal All Purpose Flour | |
| Package UPC | 000-16000-10710 |
| Recalled Better if Used by Dates | 18JUN2017KC, 01AUG2017KC, 13AUG2017KC through 21AUG2017KC |
| 10lb Gold Medal All Purpose Flour | |
| Package UPC | 000-16000-10410 |
| Recalled Better if Used by Dates | 18JUN2017KC, 01AUG2017KC |
| 5lb Gold Medal All Purpose Flour | |
| Package UPC | 000-16000-10610 |
| Recalled Better if Used by Dates | 18JUN2017KC, 01AUG2017KC, 13AUG2017KC through 21AUG2017KC |
| 5lb Gold Medal Self Rising Flour | |
| Package UPC | 000-16000-11610 |
| Recalled Better if Used by Dates | 27OCT2016KC |
| 4.25lb Gold Medal All Purpose Flour | |
| Package UPC | 000-16000-12670 |
| Recalled Better if Used by Dates | 01AUG2017KC, 19AUG2017KC, 20AUG2017KC, 21AUG2017KC |
| 5lb Gold Medal Unbleached Flour | |
| Package UPC | 000-16000-19610 |
| Recalled Better if Used by Dates | 01AUG2017KC, 14AUG2017KC, 15AUG2017KC, 16AUG2017KC, 17AUG2017KC, 19AUG2017KC, 20AUG2017KC |
| 2lb Signature Kitchens All Purpose Flour Enriched Bleached | |
| Package UPC | 000-21130-53000 |
| Recalled Better if Used by Dates | BB 15 AUG 2017, BB 16 AUG 2017 |
| 5lb Signature Kitchens Unbleached Flour All Purpose Enriched | |
| Package UPC | 000-21130-53022 |
| Recalled Better if Used by Dates | BB 01 AUG 2017 |
Buyers of the above products are asked to throw away any flour in their possession that is part of this recall. A full list of retail products included in the flour recall since May 31, 2016, can be found at www.generalmills.com/flour.
Consumers with questions or requesting replacement product should contact General Mills at 1-800-230-8103. Consumer information can also be found at www.generalmills.com/flour.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews | @NewsWayman
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.