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E. coli fears prompt recall of 10 million pounds of flour

Although government officials have been investigating this outbreak, as of 6:30 this afternoon, the FDA has not released any information on this outbreak or the recall initiated by general Mills.

“State and federal authorities have been researching 38 occurrences of illnesses across 20 states related to a specific type of E. coli O121, between Dec.21, 2015, and May 3, 2016,” according to a news release from General Mills, reported by Food Safety news.

“While attempting to track the cause of the illness, CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) found that approximately half of the individuals reported making something homemade with flour at some point prior to becoming ill. Some reported using a General Mills brand of flour,” said the news release.

The recalled products included six SKUs (stock keeping units or UPC codes) of Gold Medal branded flour, two SKU’s of Signature Kitchens branded flour and one SKU of Gold Medal Wondra branded flour. Retailers that received shipments of the recalled products include Safeway, Albertsons, Jewel, Shaws, Vons, United, Randalls, and Acme.

Reuters is reporting that the E. coli strain under investigation has not been found in any of the three branded flour products or their manufacturing plants. Consumers have not directly reported any illnesses to the Minneapolis-based company added.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been analyzing the data while the E. coli 121 strain using Pulsenet to get the bacteria’s genetic fingerprint. They are working in collaboration with General Mills and the various state health departments to resolve the outbreak.

Liz Nordlie, president of General Mills Baking division, in a separate news release, said no one, especially young children, should ever eat raw dough or batter made with flour because of the danger of ingesting pathogens. She also added, “Consumers are reminded to wash their hands, work surfaces, and utensils thoroughly after contact with raw dough products or flour, and to never eat raw dough or batter.”

Of the 38 people reported sickened in the outbreak, over half reported cooking something that required the use of General Mills flour. The company is advising consumers to not use the flour if they find it in their pantries. Consumers with additional questions can contact the consumer relations team at 1-800-230-8103.

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We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.

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