As of yesterday, household-name food giant General Mills announced that it’s expanding a recall of several flour products. This latest development comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified four new illnesses potentially linked to E. coli samples in General Mills Gold Medal, Wondra, and Signature Kitchens uncooked dough and batter products. It’s the third such expansion of an original recall back in May, with additional measures having been taken in early and mid-July to pull the aforementioned brands, as well as some varieties of Betty Crocker cake mixes.
Local retailers like Hannaford Supermarkets are quickly removing the commodities from their shelves, and want customers to know that anyone who returns them will get a full refund. “It’s a product that we sell, and it’s certainly enjoyed by the customers that make those purchases,” acknowledges Eric Blom, a spokesperson for Hannaford Supermarkets, who have stores in Carmel, Kingston and La Grangeville, among other Hudson Valley locations. But far as whether removing the flour from its inventory has any store-to-store impact on sales, he says, “Not significantly at all.”
Some businesses, like DeCicco’s in Brewster, were lucky enough to avoid any hassles. “We didn’t have anything that was recalled,” assures store manager Juno Letizia. “All the codes that they recalled, we don’t have them in the store. So there’s no need for us to pull the product out. Everything’s good.”
Area residents who think they may have purchased the aforementioned products in recent weeks should check their pantries and save the bar code and Better if Used By Date to receive a replacement coupon. We will continue to update this story as we have more information.
