General Mills Recalls Two, Five And Ten Pound Bags Of Gold Medal Flour
Image: fda.gov.
General Mills issued a voluntary nationwide recall 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. No other types of Gold Medal Flour are affected by this recall at this time.
This voluntary recall includes the following code dates currently in stores or consumers’ pantries, all with “Better if Used by” dates of 27MAR2024 and 28MAR2024.
Image: fda.gov.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Infantis infections linked to Gold Medal brand flour produced by General Mills.
Based on epidemiological data collected by CDC, five of nine cases report exposure to raw Gold Medal brand flour and seven of eight cases report consuming raw dough or batter. FDA’s traceback investigation identified a single production facility of the flour consumed by patients. FDA initiated an inspection at the General Mills Kansas City, Missouri, facility and collected retain product samples. One sample was found to be positive for Salmonella, and subsequent analysis by Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) found that the Salmonella in the positive sample matched the strain of Salmonella making people sick in this outbreak.
On April 28, 2023, General Mills announced a voluntary nationwide recall of two, five and 10 pound bags of its Gold Medal Unbleached and Bleached All Purpose Flour with a “better if used by” date of March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024.
The investigation is ongoing to determine the source of contamination and whether additional products are linked to illnesses. FDA will update this advisory should additional consumer safety information become available.
Illness usually occurs within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and usually lasts four to seven days. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. Children younger than five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe infections. Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have symptoms of a Salmonella infection after eating recalled flour.
Consumers, restaurants and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve recalled Gold Medal flour. Recalled products should be thrown away or returned to the retailer. Check your home for recalled flour. If you cannot tell if your flour is part of the recall, do not use it.
Flour Safety Tips
Due to the potential for contamination, never eat any raw flour, dough, or cake mix that is supposed to be cooked or baked. Always wash hands, work surfaces, and utensils thoroughly after contact with flour, raw dough, or batter. Keep raw food or dough separate from other foods while preparing them to prevent any possible contamination from spreading. Be aware that flour or baking mix may spread easily due to its powdery nature.
For more information, visit fda. gov.
