E. coli Outbreak May be Tied to General Mills' Flour, CDC Says

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday said officials are investigating an outbreak of E.coli likely caused by flour made by General Mills Inc. at a Kansas City, Mo. plant.

​The E.coli strain—called E.coli 0121—has spread across 20 states, sickening 38 people between December 21, 2015 and May 3, 2016, according to the CDC. Ten people have been hospitalized.

The CDC said its investigation suggests a likely source of the outbreak was flour produced at General Mills' plant in Kansas City.

On Tuesday, the Minneapolis cereal company announced it was voluntarily recalling over 10 million pounds of flour as a precaution. The company said it had not been contacted directly by consumers reporting a confirmed illness tied to its products.

On Wednesday, the company said "The flour that is being voluntarily recalled was primarily produced at the General Mills plant in Kansas City, Missouri. To date, E. coliO121 hasn't been found in any General Mills flour products or in the manufacturing facility."

General Mills said it was recalling several lots of its Gold Medal, Wondra and Signature Kitchen brands sold in major supermarkets like Albertsons Cos., Safeway Inc. and Jewel-Osco.

According to the company, many E. coli strains aren't harmful, but E. coli O121 is a potentially deadly bacteria that can result in dehydration and bloody diarrhea. People most at risk include seniors, young children and people with weakened immune systems.

Many of the people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli had reported making something with flour before becoming ill, with some reporting they had used a General Mills brand, the company said.

The CDC on Wednesday said some ill people reported eating or tasting homemade dough or batter while it was still raw.

"Consumers are reminded to not consume any raw products made with flour," General Mills said in Tuesday's release. "Flour is an ingredient that comes from milling wheat, something grown outdoors that carries with it risks of bacteria which are rendered harmless by baking, frying or boiling."

The E. coli outbreak is the most recent in a string of foodborne illness outbreaks announced this year, including a listeria outbreak linked to frozen vegetables produced by CRF Frozen Foods LLC. Earlier this year, health officials declared an apparent end to two E. coli outbreaks that sickened 60 customers of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., prompting a sharp drop in traffic at the company's restaurants.

The flour recall also comes after General Mills in October recalled 1.8 million boxes of Cheerios because wheat flour was inadvertently added to cereal labeled gluten-free.

Write to Jesse Newman at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 01, 2016 18:45 ET (22:45 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.