Here's Why General Mills, Gold Medal, Wondra And Signature Kitchens Are Named For E-Coli Tainted Flour Incident

A flour recall has been announced after an E. coli-tainted flour from General Mills caused sickness among 46 people in 21 states. The recall includes batches of unbleached, all-purpose and self-rising flour varieties from General Mills, Gold Medal, Wondra and Signature Kitchens flour.

The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned residents not to eat raw cookie dough and cake batter, WTHR reported. FDA testing revealed that the raw dough eaten and handled by people affected was made using flour that was produced at the General Mills facility in Kansas City, Missouri between November 2015 and February 2016. The CDC and FDA have not determined how the bacteria usually found in animal feces got into the flour but they are still currently investigating.

CDC epidemiologist Dr. Karen Neil said that since flour is considered a raw agricultural product that does not go through treatment process designed to kill contaminants like bacteria, there is a potential for contamination between the field where it is grown and in the packaging. E-coli bacteria lives in animal intestines that is most commonly spread through contamination from feces.

Officials revealed that two strains of E-coli bacteria were found, which can cause diarrhea and abdominal cramps, IB Times reported. Thirteen people have been hospitalized and one has suffered kidney failure according to CDC. Minnesota, where General Mills is based, gathered the most number of affected residents with five while Colorado, Illinois and Michigan each reported four.

In response to the allegations, General Mills said they do not believe that the Kansas City plant is the source of the bacteria. However, they have already elevated cleaning protocols out of caution. The company claims that only a small subset of flour produced from their plant can be traced back to the outbreak and no E. coli bacteria has been found in the testing of their manufacturing facility to date.