Aldi recalls all-purpose flour due to possible E. coli contamination

If you are planning on baking this weekend, be sure to check your flour. The grocery chain Aldi has issued a reminder of its all-purpose flour due to possible E. coli contamination.

The recall involves 5-pound bags of Bakers Corner all-purpose flour sold in Aldi stores in 11 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Mbadachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia.

The recalled flour has an optimal date of use of December 2, 2019, as well as a UPC code of 041498130404.

In a statement, Aldi advised customers who purchased the recalled flour to discard it immediately or return it to their local store for a full refund.

The recall was "out of caution," said Aldi in his statement. "Aldi takes the safety and integrity of the products that it sells seriously."

The company then reminded consumers not to consume raw flour-based products because milling wheat grown outdoors could pose a bacterial risk. Aldi also asked consumers to wash their hands, work surfaces and utensils thoroughly after contact with raw flour.

Customers who have questions are urged to call the ADM Milling Co. customer service department at 800-422-1688.

How to prevent. E. coli infection

"Flour is typically a raw agricultural product. This means that it has not been treated to kill germs such as E. coli Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates on his website. "Harmful germs can contaminate the grain while it is still in the field or at other stages of flour production. Bacteria are killed when flour-based foods are cooked. That's why you should never taste or eat dough or raw dough.

In 2016, an outbreak of E. coli related to raw meal sickened 63 people.

The CDC recommends following what is known as the Cleanse, Separate, Cook and Refrigerate guidelines to protect you and your family from E. coli infection and other types of food poisoning. It is particularly important to follow these rules carefully when preparing foods for young children, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems and the elderly.

Clean

• Wash your hands in hot, soapy water for 20 seconds before and after handling uncooked eggs, raw meat, poultry and seafood, as well as their juices.
• Wash utensils, cutting boards, dishes and work surfaces with hot, soapy water after preparing each food and before preparing the following item.
• Do not wash poultry, meat and raw eggs before cooking. Germs can spread to other foods, utensils and surfaces.
• Disinfect food contact surfaces with a freshly prepared solution of a tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach in a gallon of water.

Separate

• Keep meat, poultry, seafood and raw eggs separate from other foods in your grocery cart and in your refrigerator. Keep the eggs in the original carton and store them in the main part of the refrigerator, not in the door.
• Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood separate from ready-to-eat foods, such as salads and cold cuts.
• Use separate cutting boards and plates for produce and for meat, poultry, seafood and raw eggs.
• Never place cooked foods on a plate that previously contains meat, poultry, seafood or raw eggs.

cook

• 145 ° F for beef, veal, lamb and fish (let the meat sit for 3 minutes before cutting or eating)
• 145 ° F for pork and ham (let the meat sit for 3 minutes before cutting or eating)
• 160 ° F for ground beef, ground pork, minced veal and minced lamb
• 160 ° F for egg dishes
• 165 ° F for poultry (chicken, turkey, duck), including ground chicken and minced turkey
• 165 ° F for pans

Cooling

• Keep your refrigerator at 40 ° F or colder.
• Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods and leftovers within 2 hours (or 1 hour if temperature is above 90 ° F).