The Biggest Flour Recalls In US History

Flour is often overlooked as a raw ingredient. It's sold as a powder, but it's not ready to eat until it feels the heat of an oven and gets converted into our favorite baked goods. Since this pantry staple is sold raw, it can unfortunately harbor harmful bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella, which, in severe cases, can lead to serious foodborne illnesses. This susceptibility to bacteria makes flour one of the foods most likely to be recalled. Of course, flour recalls are no everyday occurrence, but over the years, several large-scale recalls in the U.S. have highlighted the risks associated with contaminated flour.

Flour-related recalls and outbreaks have involved major brands like Gold Medal, King Arthur, and Pillsbury. Hopefully, these have raised awareness about the importance of safe handling and cooking of flour-based products. No matter how tempting it is to sample your cake batter or cookie dough, it's best to avoid this for food safety reasons. But do treat yourself to the first warm cookie that pops out of the oven! (If raw dough is your thing, try this five-ingredient edible cookie dough instead.)

General Mills has had more recalls in recent years than it would likely prefer. Perhaps the largest-scale recall on this list occurred in 2016, when strains of the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) were traced to flour produced at General Mills' Kansas City, Missouri plant. The Shiga toxin is a bacterial toxin produced by some strains of E. coli such as the O26 and O121 variants involved in this case that can lead to severe illness by attacking the blood vessels of the intestinal walls. One possible complication of STEC is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure characterized by the breakdown of red blood cells.

The recall, initially announced in May, expanded twice thereafter to include more affected varieties of Gold Medal Flour, Gold Medal Wondra Flour, and Signature Kitchens Flour products. In total, a whopping 45 million pounds of flour were impacted. To put that number into perspective, if each bag sold contained 5 pounds of flour, for example, that would mean 9 million bags were recalled. The scope of the outbreak was equally as severe, resulting in 63 infections (17 of which led to hospitalizations) and once case of HUS.

In May 2017, Smucker Foods of Canada issued a voluntary recall of specific Golden Temple, Swad, and Maya flour products shipped to the U.S. due to potential E. coli O121 contamination. (If you'll recall, this is one of the strains that can produce the Shiga toxin and cause HUS.) The affected products, packaged in 20-pound bags, had been shipped to the U.S. and were produced by the flour supplier Ardent Mills located in Saskatoon, a city in Saskatchewan, Canada. While no illnesses were reported in the States, Canadian consumers were affected more severely.

By April 2017, Canada had 30 reported cases of E. coli O121 across six provinces, and seven individuals were hospitalized. The Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) conducted an investigation into the illnesses, eventually linking them to Robin Hood flour produced by Ardent Mills. As the investigation expanded to more cases, the scope of the recall widened to include several other brands manufactured by Ardent Mills, including the Golden Temple, Swad, and Maya brands shipped to the U.S.

E. coli contamination discovered in General Mills flour resulted in another nationwide recall in September 2019. The bacteria was found in 5-pound bags of Gold Medal unbleached flour during routine sampling. E. coli O26 is associated with many flour recalls because it's a clinically predominant strain — and a potentially deadly one, as it can lead to severe gastrointestinal illness. The resulting recall only affected bags with a "best by" date of September 6, 2020, but General Mills revealed that this alone amounted to 600,000 pounds of flour, or 120,000 bags. Despite this large number, there were fortunately no confirmed cases related to the product.

Unfortunately for General Mills, whose Gold Medal flour placed highly in our worst-to-best ranking of flour brands, this was the second recall of 2019. In June of that year, General Mills found Salmonella in 5-pound bags of Gold Medal unbleached flour during routine sampling. The company did not disclose how many bags this included but reminded consumers that flour should never be consumed raw.

2019 was not the best time to buy flour. Manufacturing company ADM Milling was responsible for multiple E. coli-related recalls affecting three large flour brands: Baker's Corner, King Arthur, and Pillsbury. A total of 21 people across nine states were infected with the E. coli O26 strain linked to these brands' products. Six of the infected people reported tasting homemade dough raw, and the outbreak led to three hospitalizations.

The first announcement came in May 2019, when grocery chain Aldi recalled all of its 5-pound Baker's Corner all-purpose flour bags manufactured at ADM's mill in Buffalo, New York. The very next month, Pillsbury, which used the same Buffalo flour mill to produce its 5-pound bags of bread flour, initiated a voluntary recall of roughly 4,600 cases of the product in 10 Eastern states. The impact of ADM's Buffalo mill reached its final stage in June of that year, when King Arthur recalled select lots of its 5-pound bags of unbleached, all-purpose flour. By October 2019, this expanded to include many 25-pound bags, bringing King Arthur's recall to over 14,200 bags total.

In April 2023, General Mills initiated another recall after an outbreak of Salmonella was linked to Gold Medal flour. The voluntary recall encompassed 2, 5, and 10-pound bags of both unbleached and bleached all-purpose flour. Following an investigation by the CDC and FDA, a strain of Salmonella was traced to the Gold Medal products, with cases reported in 13 states. By June 2023, the CDC declared the outbreak over. It resulted in 14 confirmed illnesses and three hospitalizations, but fortunately, no fatalities.

The Salmonella was traced to a production facility in Kansas City, Missouri. The CDC reported that many of those affected had consumed raw dough or batter made from the contaminated flour, and others affected were simply exposed to the product. Let this serve as a reminder that you don't have to knowingly eat flour to get sick, so always wash your hands, clean kitchen surfaces after cooking or baking, and wash dirty dishes thoroughly.