Aldi recalls flour for potential E. coli contamination

The Aldi grocery chain has recalled five-pound bags of all-purpose Baker’s Corner flour it sold in Pennsylvania and 10 other states because of possible contamination with E. coli bacteria.

The recall applies to all lots of the five-pound flour sacks with any “best if used by” date that bear the UPC code 041498130404. According to Aldi, the flour was processed at an ADM Milling Co. production facility in Buffalo, N.Y., and was distributed to select Aldi stores in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia.

The store said, out of an abundance of caution, it has pulled from its shelves in the listed states all Baker’s Corner all-purpose flour products obtained from the Buffalo company.

Customers who purchased flour affected by the recall were advised to discard it or return it to their local Aldi store for a refund.

Consumers with questions can contact ADM Milling Co. Customer Service at 800-422-1688 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday the Food and Drug Administration is working to determine whether other brands or lots of flour may be contaminated and need to be recalled.

The CDC said consumers who transferred flour purchased from Aldi to another container and can no longer refer to the original packaging should throw away the flour and thoroughly wash the container before using it again.

As of Friday, an outbreak of a strain of E. coli had infected 17 people in eight states, including two people in Pennsylvania, the CDC reported.

Investigators isolated the strain from an unopened bag of Baker’s Corner flour collected at a Rhode Island bakery where an ill person reported eating raw dough, the CDC said.

Symptoms of E. coli infection often include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Some people may have a fever, which usually is not very high. Some infections are very mild, but others are severe or even life-threatening, the CDC notes.

Most infected people start feeling sick several days after eating or drinking something that contains the bacteria.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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