General Mills has recalled 5- and 10-pound bags of its Gold Medal unbleached flour and 2- and 5-pound bags of its Gold Medal bleached flour for possible salmonella contamination.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said May 1 that this flour is linked to an ongoing outbreak of Salmonellainfantis first announced March 30. At that time, it was clear that raw dough or batter made with flour was the cause of the outbreak, but no brand of flour had been identified. But the CDC says that a trace-back investigation by the Food and Drug Administration found salmonella in one sample of Gold Medal flour and that the strain matched the one involved in the outbreak.
Thirteen people so far have become sick and three have been hospitalized. The illnesses have been reported in California, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, and Virginia, but the recalled Gold Medal flour was shipped to retailers across the country.
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The 5-pound bags of Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose flour have a UPC code of 000-16000-19610; the UPC code for the 10-pound bags is 000-16000-19580.
The 2-pound bleached Gold Medal All Purpose flour is marked with UPC code 000-16000-10710 and the 5-pound bags carry UPC code 000-16000-10610.
All of the flours have a “better if used by” date of March 27, 2024, or March 28, 2024.
“Food safety is our top priority, and we are voluntarily recalling these specific lots of Gold Medal Unbleached and Bleached All Purpose Flour,” says Mollie Wulff, a spokesperson at General Mills. If you have these flours, throw them away. You can call General Mills Consumer Relations at 800-230-8103 with questions.
The Risks of Uncooked Flour
This isn’t the first time uncooked flour has been linked to outbreaks of foodborne illness. Between 2017 and 2022, there were 22 recalls or outbreaks involving flour because of contamination with salmonella or a dangerous strain of E. coli called O157:H7. Uncooked flour was listed as one of the 10 risky recalled foods in a recent analysis by Consumer Reports.
“As it grows in the fields, wheat can become contaminated with bacteria from animal droppings, including nearby livestock, but also from birds and deer,” says James E. Rogers, PhD, director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports. “The milling process does not kill these kinds of foodborne pathogens, including salmonella. Only cooking dough or batter will make it safe.”
How to Stay Safe
Stemming from the earlier recalls, the industry has launched numerous campaigns to educate consumers on how to safely handle raw flour. “Food safety is a core value for the milling industry,” says Jane DeMarchi, president of the North American Millers Association. “Good manufacturing practices, food safety plans, training, and process monitoring are tools utilized by the milling industry to meet the highest food safety standards.” In partnership with the Food and Drug Administration, the industry developed a voluntary safe-handling label for wheat flour packages to remind consumers not to consume the product raw, she says.
It comes down to not eating raw homemade dough or batter, tempting as it may be, CR’s Rogers says. Instead, cook your cakes, cupcakes, bread, or any other product containing raw flour according to package instructions or to the proper temperature to stay safe.
Products meant to be eaten without cooking, such as cookie dough ice cream, are generally safe. But you should assume that everything else—cookie dough, pizza dough, and cake and pancake batters—is risky.
Because flour can so easily get on kitchen surfaces and your hands, Rogers recommends washing these, as well as countertops, cutting boards, plates, and other utensils with warm, soapy water when working with flour.
In addition, when buying flour, keep it separate from other foods in your grocery cart and bags, and store and use flour away from all ready-to-eat foods, including produce.
Salmonella Symptoms
Symptoms of salmonella infection can begin anywhere from 6 hours to six days after being exposed. Most people who become ill experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps but eventually get better on their own. High-risk groups, including children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems, are at risk for severe illness.
Medical attention is required if you have a fever higher than 102°F, have diarrhea for more than three days, have bloody diarrhea, are vomiting to the point you can’t keep liquids down, or have become dehydrated (signs can include dry mouth and throat, feeling dizzy upon standing, or not urinating much).
Salmonella causes about 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the U.S. every year, according to the CDC.
Editor’s Note: This article, originally published April 5, 2023, has been updated with information on the brand of flour, Gold Medal, involved in the salmonella outbreak and the number of people who have been sickened.
Lisa L. Gill
Lisa L. Gill is an award-winning investigative reporter. She has been at Consumer Reports since 2008, covering health and food safety—heavy metals in the food supply and foodborne illness—plus healthcare and prescription drug costs, medical debt, and credit scores. Lisa also testified before Congress and the Food and Drug Administration about her work on drug costs and drug safety. She lives in a DIY tiny home, where she gardens during the day and stargazes the Milky Way at night.
