Following a Gold Medal flour recall due to Salmonella, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday posted an update connecting the product to an ongoing outbreak that has now sickened at least 13 people in 12 states.
Three people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported. Two people have been sickened in Illinois, and one person each in Oregon, California, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, New York, and New Jersey. Sick people range in age from 12 to 81 years, with a median age of 64, and 92% are female.
The CDC said the outbreak is likely significantly bigger than what has been reported. Illness-onset dates range from December 6, 2022, to March 1, 2023.
Of eight people interviewed, seven (88%) reported eating raw dough or batter before they got sick. All six patients who knew brand information reported buying Gold Medal flour, made by General Mills of Minneapolis.
Late last week, General Mills recalled 2-pound, 5-pound, and 10-pound bags of Gold Medal bleached and unbleached all-purpose flour with "better if used by" dates of March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024.
The recall happened after the Food and Drug Administration conducted a trace-back investigation and identified a single production facility of the flour consumed by sick people, the CDC said. The facility was in Kansas City, Missouri.
The CDC recommends throwing away all stored flour that may be contaminated, and to avoid eating uncooked flour in products such as cookie dough.