General Mills, the company that makes Gold Medal flour, detectedSalmonelladuring routine testing and then issued the recall. The recall is likely a precautionary to get the products off the market before someone gets sick, saidJames E. Rogers, PhD, director of food safety research and testing atConsumer Reports.
Why Raw Flour Is Risky
“These bacteria survive the processing, and really, the only thing that you can do is cook your food properly,” Rogers said.
Since 2019, there have been2 recallsor outbreaks involving raw flour andSalmonellaorE. coli.
Salmonella,the bacteria found in the Gold Medal flour, commonly causes nausea, diarrhea, fever, and stomach pain, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms start within six hours to six days after infection and can last for a few days up to a week.
Shiga toxin-producingE. coli,another bacteria that commonly contaminates flour, can cause gastrointestinal symptoms. These infections can result in complications including hemolytic uremic syndrome, a life-threatening disease that can cause kidney damage and failure.
People will respond differently to these infections based on their age and pre-existing conditions. Immunocompromised, very young, and older people are most likely to get seriously sick fromSalmonellaorE. coliexposure.
How to Make Sure Your Flour Is Safe for Consumption
Heating flour through frying, baking, sautéing, or boiling will kill theSalmonella. Uncooked products that contain flour are often heat treated, or pasteurized, to remove contaminants before being sold.
It’s easy to consume contaminated flour even without eating raw cake batter or other uncooked foods. Because flour is so finely ground, it’s possible to inhale it when it puffs into the air while opening the bag or mixing it into a dough, for instance. It can also settle onto other food items or surfaces in your kitchen, potentially infecting those.
When using raw flour, Rogers recommends regularly cleaning countertops, cooking utensils, and your hands with warm water and soap.
“Let’s say you’re baking and you have an open salad next to your countertop, potentially the flour could get in there accidentally and you may not even see it because it’s so fine,” Rogers said. “I think that consumers need to be aware that they need to treat raw flour as a potential source of foodborne illness and cook accordingly and clean up accordingly.”
What This Means for YouThe FDA said to dispose of any flour that is under recall. If you have symptoms ofSalmonellainfection, contact a physician for diagnosis and treatment. You can track recalls on the FDA and Department of Agriculture websites.Consumer Reportsalsooffers a serviceto send recall announcements via text message.
What This Means for You
The FDA said to dispose of any flour that is under recall. If you have symptoms ofSalmonellainfection, contact a physician for diagnosis and treatment. You can track recalls on the FDA and Department of Agriculture websites.Consumer Reportsalsooffers a serviceto send recall announcements via text message.
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