Pillsbury Unbleached All-Purpose Flour Being Recalled

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is advising consumers that the Hometown Food Company is recalling two lot codes of its five-pound bags of Pillsbury Unbleached All-Purpose Flour because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.

Roughly 12,245 cases of impacted products were distributed through retailers and distributors nationwide. Only ‘Best If Used By Dates’ APR 19 2020 and APR 20 2020 are impacted. More details about the recalled products are available online. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.

There have been no reports of any illnesses associated with this recall.

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy people infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis.

Flour is made from wheat that is minimally processed. Flour should not be considered a ready-to-eat product. It is an ingredient for baked, fried, and cooked products, and these heating processes ensure the safety of flour with proper handling. All surfaces and utensils should be properly cleaned after contact with flour or uncooked dough or batter. Consumers should wash their hands after handling flour or uncooked dough or batter. Consumers should not eat uncooked dough or batter made with raw flour. If you think you became sick from a food containing flour as an ingredient, call your healthcare provider.