CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 05/17/23

Prevent raw flour from being a recipe for disaster in your kitchen

By Carla Luisa Schwan
Diagram for heat treating flour 3/4 inches deep on a baking sheet for six minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit
There is a current recall for 5- and 10-pound bags of Unbleached Gold Medal Flour and 2- and 5-pound bags of Bleached Gold Medal Flour with better-if-used-by dates of March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024. Throw away recalled flour, and never eat uncooked flour, which is a raw ingredient. To safely heat-treat flour at home, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, spread the flour 3/4 inches deep or less on a baking sheet, and bake for six minutes.

Although flour may not seem to be a raw ingredient, most flour is raw and is considered a "not-ready-to-eat" ingredient, meaning it should not be consumed uncooked. Flour is at risk of contamination with harmful bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella, pathogens that can cause foodborne illnesses in people who consume contaminated, raw flour.

Food companies develop food safety plans and adopt measures based on a product's intended use basis, which means the intended ways a consumer might utilize or eat a product. Raw flour is not intended to be consumed raw, meaning it hasn't been treated to destroy illness-causing bacteria.

Several foodborne outbreaks have been associated with consuming raw flour in recent years, which highlights the importance of handling flour properly and cooking or baking it thoroughly. E. coli and Salmonella bacteria have been linked to raw flour and associated products such as cookies and cake mixes. In addition, children can become ill from handling or consuming raw dough used in crafts or recreational activities.

Common symptoms associated with E. coli and Salmonella infections include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Additionally, certain strains of E. coli may cause severe illness, including kidney failure.

Following safe food handling practices, such as washing hands and surfaces before and after handling flour, is also essential to prevent cross-contamination with other foods. Here are some tips to minimize the risk of illness from contaminated flour.

  • Always wash your hands before and after handling flour.
  • Avoid eating raw cookie dough or cake batter containing raw flour.
  • Cook flour-based products, such as bread and cakes, to their recommended internal temperature.
  • Use heat-treated flour whenever possible.

Researchers from Rutgers University studied how to kill different pathogens in flour in a household oven setting. To heat-treat flour at home, follow these directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Spread the flour 3/4 inches deep or less on a baking sheet.
  • Bake for six minutes.

To learn more about recent foodborne outbreaks, visit cdc.gov/foodsafety/outbreaks.

Carla Schwan is an assistant professor of nutritional sciences and UGA Extension food safety specialist.

Authors:
Carla Luisa Schwan
Experts/Sources:
Carla Schwan
Brooklyne Wassel and colleague Philip Hensley developed the Master Forager program after popular demand from residents in their counties. CAES News
Participants in UGA Extension's Master Forager program find a taste for the wild 09/19/24 Becky Mills
On an unseasonably warm winter afternoon, three women armed with baskets and shears made their way along a nature trail in the woods of Pike County, Georgia. Peering into the underbrush, they stopped occasionally to examine spots of interest in and under the trees and around fallen logs and decaying stumps. A curious observer might wonder what they were searching for with such intent — unless they overheard the trio’s conversation. 
20240111 NC ADT MARCM 041 CAES News
CAES student follows her zeal for food safety to UGA School of Law 07/09/24 Lillian Dickens
The career world is wide open for students at the University of Georgia, a life lesson third-year student Emily Harris learned as a food science major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Harris plans to attend the UGA School of Law to pursue a degree in food regulation and law this fall, a unique path she discovered through classes in the Department of Food Science and Technology.
blueberries CAES News
Georgia agricultural innovation center to bring farmers from fresh to value-added markets 05/21/24 Lillian Dickens
The University of Georgia is launching the Value-Addition Institute for Business Expansion, or VIBE, a new center for rural food business assistance and resources headed by professors from the Department of Food Science and Technology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Nutritional Sciences in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. VIBE is funded by a $1.5 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Innovation Center.
Bill Flatt delivers a lecture in 2014 at the University of Georgia. (Photo by Cal Powell) CAES News
Former dean establishes UGA college’s first chair 04/29/24 Cal Powell
Bill Flatt earned his first dollar from plowing a mule and picking cotton in the Tennessee heat. His grandmother made sure he set aside some of his earnings for the church and saved the rest for college. That discipline he established early in his life stuck. By his 80th birthday, Flatt had given over $1 million to the University of Georgia, creating seven endowed funds and two professorships in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Food insecurity, indicated by a lack of consistent access to nutritious foods, continues to affect Georgia families and poses unique obstacles to charitable food assistance programs trying to address the need. CAES News
Unprecedented hunger study addresses gaps in food assistance programs 03/26/24 Cal Powell
Food insecurity, indicated by a lack of consistent access to nutritious foods, continues to affect Georgia families and poses unique obstacles to charitable food assistance programs trying to address the need. The 2023 Georgia Hunger Study, conducted by an interdisciplinary team of University of Georgia researchers in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Human Services and Feeding Georgia, found that 79% of households utilizing charitable food agencies reported experiencing food insecurity.
Members of the Washington County Health Coalition gather for a meeting in September 2023 CAES News
Georgia counties mark five years of wellness collaboration with UGA Extension 02/19/24 Josie Smith
Three Georgia counties are healthier and happier thanks to five years of collaboration with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension to expand access to health and wellness programming through the Well Connected Communities initiative. The program awarded grants in 2018 to Washington, Colquitt, and Calhoun counties to establish programming for residents through collaboration with local schools, organizations, government entities, youth and adults over the five-year grant period.