LIHU‘E — General Mills has issued a voluntary recall of some Gold Medal brand bleached and unbleached flour bags, as a federal investigation linked their products to a nationwide salmonella outbreak.
The state Department of Health began alerting residents of the recall on Tuesday, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traced a recent spread of salmonella infections to a General Mills production facility in Kansas City, Missouri.
The recall includes packages with “Better if Used By” dates of either March 27 or 28, 2024: Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose 5- and 10-pound sizes, and Gold Medal Bleached All Purpose 2- and 5-pound sizes.
No other types of Gold Medal flour are affected by the recall at this time.
During the FDA’s inspection of the Kansas City facility, one product sample was found to be positive for salmonella, and subsequent genome sequencing confirmed the sample matched the salmonella strain making people sick in this outbreak.
Furthermore, epidemiological data collected by the CDC found that of the 13 confirmed salmonella infections, at least five reported exposure to raw Gold Medal brand flour, and at least seven reported consuming raw dough or batter.
While no infections related to the recalled product have yet been identified in Hawai‘i, a state Department of Health investigation remains ongoing. State and federal agencies urge consumers to throw away the recalled products.
Consumers who have had to discard products covered by this recall may contact General Mills Consumer Relations at 1-800-230-8103.
Common symptoms of salmonella infection are nausea, diarrhea, fever and abdominal pains. These symptoms typically start within six hours to six days after infection, and last four to seven days. Children younger than 5 years old, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe infections.
“If you think you may have been infected, please contact your health care provider,” said Michael Burke, acting chief of the state Department of Health Food and Drug Branch.
As a general precaution, FDA and CDC officials recommend avoiding consumption of any raw products made with flour, as the bacterium is killed by heat through baking, frying, sauteing or boiling products containing flour. Additionally, all surfaces, hands and utensils should be properly cleaned after contact with flour or dough.
The agencies also recommend keeping raw food or dough separate from other foods while preparing them to prevent any possible contamination from spreading.
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Jackson Healy, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-4966 or jhealy@thegardenisland.com.
