General Mills Expands Retail Flour Recall

Consumers are reminded not to eat uncooked dough or batter made with raw flour

Due to four new confirmed illnesses, General Mills is adding additional flour production dates to the previously announced U.S. retail flour recall that was originally announced on May 31, 2016. The illnesses reported to health officials continue to be connected with consumers reporting that they ate or handled uncooked dough or ate uncooked batter made with raw flour. No illnesses have been connected with flour that has been properly baked, cooked or handled.

The addition of new flour production dates is the result of General Mills conducting proactive flour testing and new information from health officials who are using new whole genome sequencing techniques to trace illnesses. E.coli (several sub-types) has been detected in a small number of General Mills flour samples and some have been linked to new patient illnesses that fell outside of the previously recalled dates.

Flour is a raw ingredient that is intended to be cooked or baked.  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:

1. The flour a consumer is using has to contain the rare sub-types of E.coli that can make you sick.
2. The consumer has to eat raw dough, batter or other uncooked food made with the flour, or handle the raw dough and not wash their hands.
3. The consumer’s individual health characteristics will impact if they get 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.

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.

Consumers 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.

Anyone diagnosed by a physician as having an illness related to E. coli is also urged to contact state and local public health authorities.

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.

Original Press Release

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For more on this recall, visit this FDA web page.