Pillsbury Flour Recalled for Possible E.coli Contamination

The FDA announced on June 14 that Hometown Food Company’s “Pillsbury Best 5-Pound Bread Flour” has been recalled for possible E.coli contamination.

“Hometown Food Company, in cooperation with ADM Milling Co., today initiated a voluntary recall of two specific lot codes of its Pillsbury® Best 5 lb. Bread Flour due to a potential presence of pathogenic E. coli,” the company said in a statement, published by the Food and Drug Administration.

“The product was manufactured by ADM Milling Co., at the company’s mill in Buffalo, NY,” the statement said. The recall involves “approximately 4,620 cases” distributed to ten states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

According to the recall, affected flour has the UPC code 051500200315, and a use-by date of June 8, 2020, or June 9, 2020. This is not the only flour recalled under the threat of E.coli; King Arthur Flour and ALDI Baker’s Corner All Purpose Flour have also been pulled from store shelves.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement of their own, advising consumers that “if you have the affected product in your home or business, do not consume it. Please discard it immediately or return it to the retail location it was purchased from for a refund.”

So far, the CDC has reported 17 cases of E.coli from the tainted flour, three of which resulted in hospitalization. They warn that “Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)” typically causes illness within 3-4 days of ingestion, and can cause “a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).”

Anyone displaying symptoms of E.coli poisoning are advised to consult a physician immediately.