Massive Flour Recall Expanded, Again
As a result of four additional confirmed illnesses, General Mills has added four more production dates to its flour recall (production dates through February 10, 2016). The initial recall was announced May 31, with an expanded recall taking place earlier this month.
“At this time, it is unknown if we are experiencing a higher prevalence of E.coli in flour than normal, if this is an issue isolated to General Mills’ flour, or if this is an issue across the flour industry. The newer detection and genome sequencing tools are also possibly making a connection to flour that may have always existed at these levels,” according to a company release on FDA’s website.
Thus far, illnesses have only been linked to consumers who said they ate or handled uncooked dough or ate uncooked batter made with raw flour, not with flour that was baked, cooked or handled.