July 18, 2019—Between May 2019 and June 2019 multiple flour brands and baked goods mixes were recalled due to possible E. coli contamination.
Though the flour recall is now over I thought you should know about it in case you have any of the flours in your pantry.
(You can see the brand name list below)
How did E. Coli end up in flour?
I was surprised to learn E. coli could even get into flours.
I wanted to know the how and why so I did some digging.
It turns out this isn’t the first time there was a flour recall due to E. coli.
According to reports, May 2016 General Mills recalled flour due to possible E. Coli contamination.
And guess what? — Even the CDC and FDA were puzzled by that one.
Some officials theorize that contaminated groundwater or animal waste in a wheat field contributed to the outbreak, but I have not been able to confirm that.
Still, that seems logical to me.
So for now, the answer is not clear. What is clear, though, is that we want to avoid illness.
With that in mind here are some tips provided by the CDC to help prevent you from contamination and infection.
With all that’s going on with food these days it seems like a good idea to just make these tips common practice no matter how tempting it may be to stray from them.
CDC Tips
- If you stored flour in another container without the packaging and don’t remember the brand or “use by” date, throw it away.
- Thoroughly wash the container before using again.
- Do not eat raw dough or batter.
Recalled brands:
Brand Castle Mixes
Pillsbury Best Bread Flour
King Arthur Flour
ALDI Baker’s Corner All Purpose flour
For UPC, Best By dates and lot numbers go directly to the CDC.
End of article
The Lifestyle Brief 