More Baking Products Recalled in E. Coli Outbreak

A recall of General Mills flour — which has been blamed for a multi-state E. coli outbreak — has been expanded to include other brands and products that contain the flour, including some popular Betty Crocker cake mixes and a Krusteaz pancake mix. Earlier General Mills voluntarily recalled 10 million pounds of potentially contaminated flour.

Continental Mills has recalled specific lots of its Krusteaz Blueberry Pancake Mix products because they may contain contaminated flour. The recall includes the following:

• 28-ounce cartons of Krusteaz Blueberry Pancake Mix with “best by” date between 3/30/2018 and 6/16/2018 and a UPC code of 041449001289.
• Family size 3.5 pound bag of Krusteaz Blueberry Pancake Mix with a “best by” date between 4/27/2018 and 4/28/2018 and a UPC code of 041449001487.

Click here for more details on the Krusteaz Blueberry Pancake Mix recall.

Also new to the recall list are some Betty Crocker cake mixes which contain “flavor chips” that may contain contaminated flour. The recalled cake mixes include:

• Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Party Rainbow Chip Cake Mix: Affected cake mixes have a UPC of 000-16000-40997 and “better if used by” dates of 25MAR2017, 28MAR2017, 27APR2017, 28APR2017, 23MAY2017, 24MAY2017, 25MAY2017. In Canada, the mix is called Betty Crocker Super Moist Rainbow Bit Cake Mix and has a UPC of 000-65633-46589 and “better if used by” dates of 27AL2017, 08JN2017, 09JN2017.
• Betty Crocker Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix: Affected cake mixes have a UPC of 000-16000-40987 and “better if used by” dates of 12APR2017, 13APR2017, 14APR2017, 28MAY2017, 29MAY2017, 30MAY2017, 07JUL2017, 08JUL2017.

Click here for more on the flour recall from General Mills.

General Mills first recalled the flour at the end of May, even before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its investigation identified flour produced at a General Mills facility in Kansas City, Missouri, as the “likely source” of an outbreak of E. coli O121, which has now infected 42 people in 21 states, 11 of whom have been hospitalized.

The O121 strain of E. coli is particularly nasty with symptoms including diarrhea (often bloody) and abdominal cramping. Severe cases of the illness can result in kidney failure.

Bill Marler, a Seattle lawyer specializing in food poisoning lawsuits against food companies, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that it’s likely that the recall list linked to potentially contaminated General Mills flour will continue to grow.

“It looks like the wheels on the bus are coming off, but it’s actually a positive thing. I see recalls as a sign the system is operating like it should,” Marler said. “Recalls, in the long run, are a positive for food safety because the industry will add more testing to flour.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is also warning people against eating raw dough made with flour or letting children play with raw dough.

Have you had any flour, pancake or cake mixes affected by the recall? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.