Aldi recalls Baker’s Choice flour recall; manufacturer confirms E. coli finding

The Aldi grocery chain has expanded a recall of all-purpose flour made my the Archer Daniels Midland Co. to include all best-by dates of a certain lot of Baker’s Corner flour. Tests have shown some of the flour to be contaminated with E. coli.

Aldi’s recall notice today comes a day after Rhode Island officials warned the public to throw out 5-pound bags of Baker’s Corner flour with the lot code L18A02B and a best-by date of Dec. 2, 2019. State officials in Rhode Island said results from E. coli testing prompted the warning. As of today, no confirmed illnesses had been reported in relation to the recalled flour.

Archer Daniels Midland Co. concurrently posted a recall notice on the website of it’s Kansas-based subsidiary ADM Milling Co. In the ADM recall, an additional lot code is mentioned. It also specifies date codes implicated in the recall.

“There are two lot numbers involved in this recall: Lot L18A02 and L18A03. The products have Best If Used By Dates of Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, 2019. The product was manufactured at ADM’s flour mill in Buffalo, NY,” according to the ADM Million Co. recall notice. 

Today Aldi officials urged consumers to check their homes for the suspect flour by looking for the lot code L18A02B and the UPC number 041498130404 on packages. Regardless of the date code, packages of Baker’s Corner flour with the specified lot and UPC numbers should be discarded or returned to the place of purchase, according to the recall posted by Aldi.

“This product was sourced from an ADM Milling Co. production facility in Buffalo, NY, and was distributed to select ALDI stores in 11 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia,” according to the Aldi recall notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration. 

“… ALDI has recalled all best if used by dates and all lots of Bakers Corner All Purpose Flour products produced by ADM Milling Co. in Buffalo, NY, from store shelves in these states.” 

Aldi’s recall notice directs consumers with questions to contact ADM Milling Co. customer service representatives at 800-422-1688.

Neither today’s recall notices nor yesterday’s warning from Rhode Island Department of Health reported how many bags of flour had been distributed. They also did not report which specific stores received the implicated flour.

Consumers who have flour on hand that is not still in its original package are urged to throw it out unless they can confirm that it is not included in the recall.

The recall notices from Aldi and ADM Milling Co. both reminded consumers of the inherent dangers of raw flour. 

“Consumers are reminded to not consume any raw products made with flour. 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,” according to the recall notices. 

“Consumers are reminded to wash their hands, work surfaces, and utensils thoroughly after contact with raw dough products or flour, and to never eat raw dough or batter. For more information about risks of consuming raw dough, refer to the following: https://www.cdc.gov/features/no-raw-dough/index.htmL.”

In the past four years E. coli outbreaks have been traced to raw flour, which has traditionally not been included on lists of foods thought to be high risks in terms of foodborne pathogens.

There have been multiple flour recalls in the United States and Canada after E. coli has been found in samples of finished product. A variety of brands and manufacturing companies have been involved in the recalls.

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