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General Mills: Gold Medal Flour Under Recall, Again, For E. Coli Contamination

By Noelle Nicholas
Published on: 12:59 PST, Jul 26, 2016

It has not been a good year for General Mills, at least in regard to their Gold Medal brand flour, which is currently under recall for the second time due to E. coli contamination. On July 25, General Mills announced that four new cases of the bacterial illness have been recently reported, and the recall has been expanded.

The Mayo Clinic defines E. coli as the following.

“Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. Most varieties of E. coli are harmless or cause relatively brief diarrhea. But a few particularly nasty strains can cause severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.”

“You may be exposed to E. coli from contaminated water or food — especially raw vegetables and undercooked ground beef. Healthy adults usually recover from infection with E. coli O157:H7 within a week, but young children and older adults have a greater risk of developing a life-threatening form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.”

According to Healthline, the full list of symptoms include stomach cramps, watery diarrhea, bloody stool, vomiting, fever, nausea, gas, and fatigue.

The Inquisitr previously reported in June that the General Mills flour recall encompassed a whopping 10 million pounds of flour, which included the Gold Medal and Signature Kitchens brands. It was noted that those who were sickened by the illness ate raw dough, and no cases have resulted from the consumption of flour that was properly baked.

“As a leading provider of flour for 150 years, 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.”

According to Time magazine, the plant responsible for the Gold Medal flour recall is probably linked to the General Mills facility in Kansas City, Missouri. Out of the 46 people who have been infected with the bacteria, 13 spent some time in the hospital, the most severe case being kidney failure. No deaths have been linked to the contaminated flour.

General Mills refuses to take sole responsibility for the outbreak, as it is yet uncertain whether the E. coli contamination is isolated to their flour, or if it present in other brands of flour as well.

General Mills (which acquired Pillsbury in 2000) has expanded its recall of Gold Medal, Wondra, and Signature Kitchens flour. They are stressing that E. coli infection is only occurring when unbaked flour is consumed, so do not be tempted to taste that raw cookie dough! [Image via Shutterstock]
A comprehensive list of the flour recall can be found at the Centers for Disease Control website.

The General Mills recall has grown to include products that use their flour, including but not limited to Marie Calendar’s Cheese Biscuit Mix, Krusteaz Blueberry Pancake Mix, Golden Dipt Breaded Jalapeno Nuggets, and Betty Crocker Super Moist Party Rainbow Chip Cake Mix.

The flour recall encompasses many dates and brands, including the super popular Gold Medal, so pull those bags of flour out of your cupboard and check the information before you bake those cookies and muffins. At the very least, step away from the raw cookie dough, and wait to eat it after it’s been baked!

[Image via Shutterstock]

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