Gold Medal flour recalled over salmonella concerns
People who have already purchased the flours identified in the recall should throw them out, the FDA says.
Citing potential salmonella contamination, General Mills last week announced a nationwide recall of four varieties of its Gold Medal all-purpose flour.
The recall affects Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour in five- and 10-pound bags with a “better if used by” date of March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024; and Gold Medal bleached all-purpose flour in two- and five-pound bags with the same “better if used by” dates. No other Gold Medal flours are part of the recall.
General Mills said in a release posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website that the bacteria salmonella infantis had been found while sampling five-pound bags of the flour.
Salmonella bacteria can cause nausea, diarrhea, fever, and stomachaches in otherwise healthy people who contract it, the FDA says. Symptoms normally arise within six hours to six days after consuming the bacteria, and most people’s symptoms resolve in four to seven days without treatment.
But salmonella can cause serious disease requiring hospitalization, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people with weakened immune systems, adults over 65, and children under 12 months take antibiotics if they contract a salmonella infection.
The news release from General Mills did not say whether anyone has been sickened from the flour identified in the recall.
People who have already purchased the flour packages identified in the recall should throw them out, the FDA says. Salmonella infantisis in flour can be killed by cooking it. But you shouldn’t eat raw products made with flour, since any unbaked flour can contain germs like salmonella, the CDC says.
Buyers who did purchase recalled flours can call General Mills’ consumer relations line at 1-800-230-8103.