A General Mills Press Release has confirmed that four more, newly discovered, individuals have been sicken by the E. coli Outbreak that has been connected to General Mills Flour. In response to these illnesses, General Mills is expanding its previously announced recall to include additional flour production dates.
FOOD POISONING LAWSUIT HELP
The personal injury lawyers at the Weinberg Law Firm have helped food poisoning victims nationwide receive compensation for their injuries and related damages. The Weinberg Law Firm is currently investigating cases related to the General Mills Flour E. coli Outbreak.
If you or a loved one has been injured after eating a contaminated food product, and you would like to know more about your legal rights, please call our lawyers at 1-877-934-6274 or fill out the Free Legal Case Evaluation Form found on this page.
General Mills Claims Nature of General Mills E. coli Outbreak is Unknown
According to the General Mills Press Release, it is unclear the exact nature of this outbreak. There are a few possibilities listed: perhaps there is a higher prevalence of E. coli in flour than normal, or the contamination is isolated to General Mills’ flour, or the contamination is across the flour industry, or perhaps the newer detection and genome sequencing tools are making a connection to flour that may have always existed at these levels.
Of the illness reported to health officials, none occurred in connection with flour that was properly baked, cooked or handled.
General Mills E. coli Outbreak Information
General Mills provided the following information:
“In order for severe E. coli illness to occur from flour, all three of the following things have to happen:
- The flour a consumer is using has to contain the rare sub-types of E.coli that can make you sick.
- The consumer has to eat raw dough, batter or other uncooked food made with the flour, or handle the raw dough and not wash their hands.
- The consumer’s individual health characteristics will impact if they get sick and how severely. Some consumers have mild symptoms and others get very sick. It is not always known who will get sick and who will not.”
ABOUT E. COLI
Escherichia coli or E. coli is a type of bacterium that lives in the intestines of healthy humans and animals. Some strains of E. coli are capable of producing a powerful toxin, known as Shiga toxin, and can cause severe, life-threatening illness.
Symptoms of E. coli
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) symptoms of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection include severe abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. The diarrhea may become bloody and can lead to dehydration. There is usually little or no fever. The infection (and its symptoms) will vary from individual to individual, ranging from a mild to a life-threatening illness.
The CDC reports that symptoms of E. coli food poisoning typically begin 3-4 days after eating a contaminated food; however, symptoms may occur anywhere from 1 to 10 days following pathogen exposure.
