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General Mills Recalls Flour After Salmonella Test

General Mills has recalled 5-pound bags of flour that have a “better if used by” date of April 20, 2020. (Mike Mozart/flickr)

On January 23, General Mills triggered a voluntary recall of Gold Medal unbleached flour with a "better if used by" date of April 20, 2020.

The company urged customers to check pantries and discard any 5-pound bags with that date.

Flour used as an ingredient in foods cooked at a high enough temperature to kill bacteria like Salmonella would likely be safe, but cookie dough or other raw products could be dangerous.

There have not been any reports of illness from contaminated flour in the recall.

General Mills issued a 45-million-pound flour recall in 2016 due to an E. coli outbreak that infected more than 60 people.

In March last year King Arthur Flour recalled more than 6,000 cases of coconut flour contaminated with Salmonella, and Canada issued a recall of two brands of all-purpose flour in 2017 due to positive tests for E. coli in samples.

Salmonella infection can cause severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food.

General Mills urges consumers in general to eat only cooked flour, and to thoroughly clean cooking surfaces that come in contact with raw flour.

The company said in a statement that flour "is made from wheat that is grown outdoors where bacteria are often present."

Flour isn't treated to remove pathogens during milling, so raw flour can contain harmful bacteria.

In this month's recall, the company said consumers and retailers should look for the following label information:

Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose 5LB Flour

Package UPC 000-16000-19610-0

"Better if Used by Date: 20APR2020KC

For questions, call the company's consumer relations line at: 800 230-8103



Read More:



  • General Mills Again Recalls Gold Medal Flour; Salmonella Is The Problem This Time (Food Safety News)
  • General Mills Flour Recall: What You Need To Know (ABC News)


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