MINNEAPOLIS, MN. – General Mills announced the voluntary national recall of some of their five-pound bags of Gold Medal Unbleached Flour due to the potential risk of Salmonella.
The affected product include 5-pound packages with the better if used by date of April 20, 2020. The Salmonella was discovered by General Mills during sampling of the product. “This recall is being issued out of an abundance of care as General Mills has not received any direct consumer reports of confirmed illnesses related to this product,” said General Mills officials. General Mills said that the recall only includes the one date code of Gold Medal Unbleached Flour in the five-pound bag.
Consumers are asked to check their pantries and dispose of the product affected by this recall. Consumers who have had to discard products covered by this recall may contact General Mills Consumer Relations at 1-800-230-8103 or visit GeneralMills.com/Flour for more information.“Food safety is our top priority, and though we have not had any confirmed illnesses, we are voluntarily recalling this specific lot of Gold Medal Unbleached Flour to prevent potential illnesses,” said Jim Murphy, President of General Mills Meals and Baking Division. “This recall does not involve any other flour products, and we are continuing to educate consumers that flour is not a ‘ready to eat’ ingredient. Anything you make with flour must be cooked or baked before eating.”
The Center for Disease Control warns consumers to refrain from eating any raw products made with flour. Salmonella is killed by heat through baking, frying, sautéing or boiling products made with flour. All surfaces, hands and utensils should be properly cleaned after contact with flour or dough.
This voluntary recall includes the following code date currently in stores or consumers’ pantries:
Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose 5LB Flour
Package UPC 000-16000-19610-0
Recalled Better if Used by Date 20APR2020KC
Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
