Two flavors of Betty Crocker Cake Mix sold in the US – as well as one sold in Canada – are being recalled by General Mills due to the potential for contamination with the bacteria E. coli O121.
At the very beginning of the company’s recall press release, General Mills reminds consumers “not to consume uncooked cake batter or raw flour products.”
One Canadian, Two US Betty Crocker Cake Mixes Recalled
The cake mixes being recalled are Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Party Rainbow Chip Cake Mix and Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix, both sold in the United States, and Betty Crocker Super Moist Rainbow Bit Cake Mix, which was sold in Canada. One of General Mills’ suppliers used Wondra-brand flour implicated in the recall to manufacture the colored morsels in the rainbow cake mixes. Details regarding the component of the carrot cake mix that may be contaminated were not released.
The mixes have been added to the official list of General Mills recalled products published on the company’s website. Details regarding the recalled mixes are as follows:
Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Party Rainbow Chip Cake Mix
- Package UPC: 000-16000-40997
- “Better if Used By” Dates for recalled products: 25MAR2017, 28MAR2017, 27APR2017, 28APR2017, 23MAY2017, 24MAY2017, and 25MAY2017.
Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix
- Package UPC: 000-16000-40987
- “Better if Used By” Dates for recalled products: 12APR2017, 13APR2017, 14APR2017, 28MAY2017, 29MAY2017, 30MAY2017, 07JUL2017, and 08JUL2017.
Betty Crocker Super Moist Rainbow Bit Cake Mix (sold in Canada)
- Package UPC: 000-65633-46589
- “Better if Used By” Dates for recalled products: 27AL2017, 08JN2017, and 09JN2017.
No other cake mixes are implicated in the recall, and no illness have been attributed to consumption of the cake mixes as of this time.
General Mills Flour Recalled; Linked to Multistate E. coli Outbreak
On May 31st, General Mills issued its first flour recall, covering Gold Medal, Wondra and Signature Kitchen brand flour manufactured on certain dates. That recall was expanded on July 1st, after testing of flour from one of the outbreak victims’ houses indicated that flour not previously subject to the recall was also contaminated with E. coli O121.
The flour has been definitively linked to 42 cases of E. coli O121 in 42 different states by the CDC, with the latest reported case occurring on June 8th. There may be additional cases that have occurred since the CDC last updated its information on July 1st, the same day that GM expanded its recall.
Both the CDC and FDA have advised consumers not to eat raw dough or batter, regardless of whether or not the flour used to make the batter is subject to this recall. Uncooked dough should not be tasted or sampled, as it may be contaminated with certain bacteria. In addition, the CDC cautions “restaurants and retailers not [to] serve raw dough to customers or allow children and other guests to play with raw dough.”
