Gold Medal Flour Recalled In U.S., Illinois Due To Salmonella Risk

ILLINOIS — General Mills issued a voluntary recall of some of its bleached and unbleached bags of Gold Medal flour because testing revealed the potential presence of salmonella in the product which is sold around the country, including Illinois health officials said last week.

The recall affects two-, five-, and 10-pound bags of Gold Medal Unbleached and Bleached All Purpose Flour with a “better if used by” date of March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that Salmonella Infantis was discovered during sampling of the product, in a notice posted Friday.
The affected products are either in stores or in customers' cabinets, said the FDA and General Mills.

The voluntary recall includes the following package UPC codes:

• 000-16000-19610
• 000-16000-19580
• 000-16000-10710
• 000-16000-10610

The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say people should not eat products made with raw flour.

"Salmonella Infantisis is killed by heat through baking, frying, sautéing or boiling products made with flour," said the FDA. "All surfaces, hands, and utensils should be properly cleaned after contact with flour or dough."

General Mills is encouraging customers to check their cupboards and throw away any flour affected by the recall. Customers who had to throw out products may contact General Mills Consumer Relations at 1-800-230-8103.

The salmonella organism can cause serious and potentially fatal infections in children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. Most people infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and blood in the urine or stool.
In rare circumstances, the infection gets into the bloodstream and produces more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis.