General Mills Gold Medal Flour Recall-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
General Mills has issued a massive recall for Gold Medal Flour because a suspected E. coli outbreak.
The Truth:
It’s true that General Mills voluntarily recalled 10 million pounds of flour across 20 states on May 31, 2016.
In a statement, General Mills said it had voluntarily recalled flour sold under its Gold Medal, Gold Medal Wondra and Signature Kitchen brands after 38 cases of illness from E. coli contamination:
State and federal authorities have been researching 38 occurrences of illnesses across 20 states related to a specific type of E. coli (E. coli O121), between December 21, 2015, and May 3, 2016. While attempting to track the cause of the illness, CDC found that approximately half of the individuals reported making something homemade with flour at some point prior to becoming ill. Some reported using a General Mills brand of flour.
Based on the information that has been shared with General Mills, some of the ill consumers may have also consumed raw dough or batter. Consumers are reminded to not consume any raw products made with flour. Flour is an ingredient that comes from milling wheat, something grown outdoors that carries with it risks of bacteria which are rendered harmless by baking, frying or boiling. Consumers are reminded to wash their hands, work surfaces, and utensils thoroughly after contact with raw dough products or flour, and to never eat raw dough or batter.
General Mills recalled 13.5-ounce Gold Medal Wondra flour; 2-pound, 5-pound and 10-pound packages of Gold Medal All Purpose Flour; 5-pound packages of Gold Medal unbleached flour; 5-pound packages of Signature Kitchens All Purpose Flour Enriched Bleach; 5-pound packages of Signature Kitchens Unbleached Flour; and 2-pound packages of Gold Medal self-rising flour.
Click here to contact General Mills directly about the flour recall.