Pillsbury recalls bread flour over E. coli fears

Five-pound bags of Pillsbury Best Bread Flour are being recalled because the flour may be contaminated with E. coli.

Pillsbury’s owner Hometown Foods issued the recall on Friday for two lots of the bread flour, which was manufactured by ADM Milling Co. at its mill in Buffalo, N.Y.

More than 4,600 cases of the flour were distributed to 10 states, including Ohio. The flour has use-by dates of June 8, 2020, and June 9, 2020, Hometown Foods said. A press release with full details about the recall is available on the Hometown Foods website, hometownfoodcompany.com.

If you have purchased the flour, throw it out, the company said. Purchasers can receive replacement coupons for the product.

Last week, King Arthur Flour also recalled cases of flour linked to ADM Milling. The King Arthur recall involves five-pound bags of Unbleached All-Purpose Flour with use-by dates of Dec. 7, 2019, Dec. 8, 2019, and Dec. 14, 2019.

E. coli can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and other illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control. While most infections are mild, some can be life-threatening.

Flour is a raw product that can easily be contaminated by harmful germs that can be killed in the baking process. That’s why the CDC warns consumers never to taste or eat raw batter or dough.

For more information about the Pillsbury recall, consumers are asked to call Pillsbury toll-free at 1-866-219-9333 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. central time.