10 million pounds of flour recalled over E. coli fears

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published 1 June 2016

General Mills is recalling 10 million pounds of flour "out of an abundance of caution," due to an E. coli scare.

State and federal officials say flour is likely the link between 38 illnesses across 20 states, NBC News reports; many of the people who became sick say they ate raw flour. In a statement, General Mills said it is working with health officials to investigate a possible E. coli 0121 contamination, and has issued a voluntary recall of Gold Medal flour, Wondra flour, and Signature Kitchens flour, sold in Albertsons, Vons, Jewel, Shaws, Safeway, United, Randalls, and Acme stores.

E. coli 0121 is one of the few forms of the bacteria that can cause illness, and the last outbreak was in 2014, linked to clover sprouts. General Mills said that during the course of the investigation, "E. coli 0121 has not been found in any General Mills flour products or in the flour manufacturing facility, and the company has not been contacted directly by any consumer reporting confirmed illnesses related to these products."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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