The Recall Desk
SevereFDA (Food)·F-2215-2016·Announced 2016-09-21

General Mills Recalls Gold Medal Flour Due to E. coli O121 Outbreak Link

General Mills is recalling specific Gold Medal flour products due to a potential link to a multistate E. coli O121 outbreak, although the bacteria has not been found in the products.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall is classified as FDA Class I, which mandates a severity score of at least 4 according to the rubric, despite the lack of confirmed illnesses or detection of the pathogen in the product.

Plain-English summary

General Mills, Inc. is recalling 5 lb Gold Medal Unbleached Flour and 50 lb Gold Medal H&R All Purpose Unbleached Flour. The recall is being conducted because of a multistate outbreak of E. coli O121 that may be potentially linked to Gold Medal flour, Wondra flour, and Signature Kitchens flour.

The recall covers specific "Better If Used By" dates and production codes for the 5 lb product, including dates from May 2017 through August 2017, and specific production dates from November and December 2015 for the 50 lb product. A total of 614,478 units are affected. The products were distributed in all US states except Alaska and South Dakota, as well as Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and several international locations including Aruba, Hong Kong, China, Bahamas, Jamaica, Bermuda, Curacao, Haiti, and Thailand.

To date, E. coli O121 has not been found in any General Mills flour products or in the flour manufacturing facility. The company has not been contacted directly by any consumer reporting confirmed illnesses related to these products. Consumers should check their pantries for the specific dates and codes listed in the recall notice and dispose of or return the products if they match the recalled items.

The recalled product

Product
5 lb Gold Medal Unbleached Flour Case UPC 000-16000-12690 Package UPC 000-16000-19610 Recalled Better If Used By Dates 25MAY2017KC, 27MAY2017KC, 03JUN2017KC, 04JUN2017KC Expanded Recall: 19MAY2017KC through 24MAY2017KC, 11JUN2017KC, 12JUN2017KC Expanded Recall #2 7-2
Manufacturer
General Mills, Inc
Affected units
614,478

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Lot numbers (15)

  • 25MAY2017KC
  • 27MAY2017KC
  • 03JUN2017KC
  • 04JUN2017KC Expanded Recall: 19MAY2017KC through 24MAY2017KC
  • 11JUN2017KC
  • 12JUN2017KC
  • 05NOV2015KC
  • 16NOV2015KC
  • 17NOV2015KC
  • 14AUG2017KC
  • 15AUG2017KC
  • 16AUG2017KC
  • 17AUG2017KC
  • 19AUG2017KC
  • 20AUG2017KC

Distribution

Distributed in 6 states:

Part of a larger recall action

This product is one of 10 recalled by General Mills, Inc under a single FDA (Food) recall action. The agency files each product separately, so the size of the action is not visible from this page alone.

See all 10 products in this recall →