Gold Medal flour recall: General Mills flour linked to multi-state salmonella outbreak by CDC, FDA
The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention have linked Gold Medal Unbleached and Bleached All Purpose Flour with a multi-state salmonella outbreak.
The two agencies announced the finding Monday after the FDA found that five of nine cases in the outbreak had exposure to raw Gold Medal flour. A sample taken at the General Mills plant in Kansas City, Missouri was found to have the strain of salmonella affecting people in this outbreak, the FDA said.
So far the agencies have identified 13 illnesses and three hospitalizations, but no deaths, in the outbreak across 12 states. The Minneapolis-headquartered General Mills issued a voluntary nationwide recall on April 28 of two-, five- and 10-pound bags of Gold Medal Unbleached and Bleached All Purpose Flour with a “Better If Used By” date of March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024, according to the recall.
General Mills issued the recall after discovering Salmonella Infantis in a sample from a five-pound bag product. Other types of Gold Medal Flour are not affected by this recall, the company said.
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Details on the General Mills flour recall
General Mills' voluntary recall includes the following products – currently in stores or consumers' homes – with "Better If Used By Dates" of "27MAR2024" and "28MAR2024," and these specific UPC codes:
Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose 5LB Flour: Package UPC 000-16000-19610
Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose 10LB Flour: Package UPC 000-16000-19580
Gold Medal Bleached All Purpose 2LB Flour: Package UPC 000-16000-10710
Gold Medal Bleached All Purpose 5LB Flour: Package UPC 000-16000-10610
The most recent illness was reported March 1, according to the FDA. States where illnesses have been reported: Illinois (two cases), Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia (all one each), the CDC said.
What to do if you bought potentially contaminated General Mills flour
Consumers should dispose of any product affected by this recall, the company said. Consumers who have to discard products covered by this recall may contact General Mills Consumer Relations at 1-800-230-8103.
General Mills did not have information about how much flour was involved in the recall. “Food safety is our top priority, and we are voluntarily recalling these specific lots of Gold Medal Unbleached and Bleached All Purpose Flour,” General Mills spokesperson Mollie Wulff said in a statement to USA TODAY.
What else is under recall? Check out USA TODAY's searchable recall database; cars, food, consumer good and more
Why should I not eat raw cookie dough?
Flour is a raw food and has not been treated to kill germs, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and salmonella, which can cause food poisoning, the CDC advises. Most who get sick from salmonella develop symptoms as soon as six hours and as long as six days after infection. Patients may develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. More severe cases may include aches, headaches, elevated fever, lethargy, rashes, blood in the urine or stool and in some instances may become fatal.
The CDC estimates Salmonella cause about 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year.
Salmonella is killed by heat when flour is baked, fried or otherwise cooked, General Mills notes in details about the recall on its website. When done cooking, properly clean and sanitize your hands, utensils and all surfaces.
“We are continuing to educate consumers that flour is not a ‘ready to eat’ ingredient," Wulff said. "Anything made with flour must be cooked or baked before eating.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CDC, FDA link General Mills' Gold Medal flour to salmonella outbreak
