General Mills Flour Recall Expanded: Now Includes Betty Crocker Cake Mixes

Yesterday, General Mills expanded its now-infamous flour recall to include two varieties of Betty Crocker cake mixes distributed across the U.S. and Canada.

The original recall of General Mills flour bearing the brand names Gold Medal, Gold Medal Wondra and Signature Kitchens was  issued on May 31 and then expanded on July 1 over concerns of E. coli O121 contamination. A total of 30 million pounds of flour was recalled at that time. Now, news from General Mills’ suppliers has expanded this recall further, despite the company’s prior claim that no baking mixes were affected by the flour recall.

What Betty Crocker Cake Mixes Are Affected?

Two different cake mix varieties are included in this newest recall expansion in the U.S. and one variety in Canada. General Mills issued this expanded recall after the supplier informed the company, which owns the Betty Crocker brand, that it had, in fact, used the Wondra Gold Medal flour to produce the flavor bits in the cake mixes. At this time, General Mills continues to decline to name the other bulk food producers who purchased their flour products under the umbrella of protecting trade secrets. The FDA is similarly limited.

Here is all the details on the newest recalled items:

U.S. Cake Mixes

Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Party Rainbow Chip Cake Mix
Package UPC 000-16000-40997
Better if Used by Dates 25MAR2017, 28MAR2017, 27APR2017, 28APR2017, 23MAY2017, 24MAY2017, 25MAY2017

Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix
Package UPC 000-16000-40987
Better if Used by Dates  12APR2017, 13APR2017, 14APR2017, 28MAY2017, 29MAY2017, 30MAY2017, 07JUL2017, 08JUL2017

Betty Crocker Super Moist Rainbow Bit Cake Mix
Package UPC 000-65633-46589
Better if Used by Dates 27AL2017, 08JN2017, 09JN2017

Canada Cake Mixes

Betty Crocker Super Moist Cake Mix Rainbow Bit in 432-gram package
27AL2017 PV08JN2017 PV
09JN2017 PV
UPC 0 65633 46589 3

Signs of E. coli Infection

The effects of the present General Mills flour recall have been extremely far-reaching, sickening over 42 people in multiple states since as early as December 2015. Signs of infection with E. coli include frequent and often bloody diarrhea accompanied by abdominal cramps. Symptoms usually last between 3-5 days and can be serious or even fatal among the very young, very old or immune-compromised.

So far, no deaths have been connected to this current recall.

Do Not Eat Raw Flour

While an E. coli contamination  linked to a Kansas City processing plant last fall is the root cause of all these reported illnesses, General Mills, along with the FDA and CDC, also warn consumers not to eat raw dough or cake batter because of just such a risk. The E. coli bacteria dies in the heat of the cooking or baking process.

NOTE: Consumers should still discard the cake mixes and other flour products (listed here) affected by this recall out of an abundance of caution.

Where to Find More Information

General Mills has set up a hotline number for consumers with questions or seeking a refund or replacement of the items included in this current recall. Concerned parties can call 1-800-230-8103 to speak to the Consumer Relations team or contact the company through this website.