General Mills Recalls 10M Pounds of Flour Over E. Coli Fears

38 people in 20 states have been sickened
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted May 31, 2016 3:47 PM CDT
General Mills Recalls 10M Pounds of Flour Over E. Coli Fears
   (Shutterstock)

General Mills is voluntarily recalling 10 million pounds of flour after 38 people across 20 states contracted E. coli, Food Safety News reports. The E. coli cases were reported between Dec. 21, 2015 and May 3, 2016. The recall includes Gold Medal, Signature Kitchens, and Gold Medal Wondra flour sold at Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Shaws, Jewel, United, Randalls, and Acme. According to Reuters, about half of those diagnosed with E. coli reported cooking with flour before becoming sickened. About half of those people said they'd used a General Mills brand of flour. It's possible some of those diagnosed with E. coli had eaten raw batter or dough, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

General Mills says it's recalling the flour "out of an abundance of caution." No E. coli has been found in any of its products or facilities. And the company hasn't had any consumers contact it directly about its products making them ill. “We felt it was important to not only recall the product and replace it for consumers if there was any doubt, but also to take this opportunity to remind our consumers how to safely handle flour,” the Star Tribune quotes the president of General Mills’ baking division as saying in a statement. Specifics of the recall can be found here. (More recall stories.)

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