RECALL ALERT: Gold Medal Flour Issues Huge Recall

Possible salmonella contamination has led to a U.S.-wide recall of five-pound bags of Gold Medal Unbleached Flour, parent company General Mills says.

The company said the voluntary recall is restricted to bags with a "better if used by" date of April 20, 2020, CBS News reported.

The affected products—over 250 tons or 500,000 pounds in total, according to a General Mills spokesperson—were distributed nationwide.

The recall was issued after sampling of the five-pound bags revealed "the potential presence" of the bacteria, according to General Mills.

The company said the "recall is being issued out of an abundance of care as General Mills has not received any direct consumer reports of confirmed illnesses related to this product," CBS News reported.

The company has said it will issue a replacement coupon to customers who have to throw away an affected product.

If you have Gold Medal flour that is no longer in its original packaging and are uncertain if it is affected by the recall, it would be wise to throw it out just in case, says James E. Rogers, Ph.D., director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports.

The key symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, and sometimes vomiting. Contact your doctor if you have a fever of 101.5° F or higher, bloody diarrhea, or severe dehydration.