It was the flour, not the butler
Almost six weeks after General Mills recalled 4.5 million kg of flour in the US due to suspected E. coli contamination, officials have found the ‘smoking gun’ in the investigation, matching E. coli O121 from a sample of General Mills flour recovered from a sick person’s home to the outbreak strain that has sickened at least 38 people since December.
Food Safety News reports investigators have been looking for such evidence since late April when patient interviews revealed that raw dough made with flour was a common denominator among outbreak victims.
“On June 10, FDA whole genome sequencing on E. coli O121 isolates recovered from an open sample of General Mills flour belonging to one of the consumers who was sickened was found to be closely genetically related to the clinical isolates from human illnesses. The flour came from a lot that General Mills has recalled,” according to an update from the Food and Drug Administration.
Are consumers ready for food made from seafood sidestreams?
A European survey says 74% have a positive or neutral attitude towards eating food made from...
Novel shock method for calculating coffee flavour
US scientists have developed a quick test that applies voltage to black coffee to determine its...
Olives used to predict oil quality before extraction
A new 'lab-on-a-fruit' analysis method has been developed to predict the chemical profile...
