Some Betty Crocker Cake Mixes Recalled Over E. Coli Fears

Three kinds of Betty Crocker cake mix sold in the U.S. and Canada are being voluntarily recalled by General Mills over concerns they could be contaminated with E. coli.

General Mills announced the voluntary recall of the cake mixes yesterday as part of a larger recall of various products containing flour that was linked to an E. coli outbreak. The mixes affected are called Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Party Rainbow Chip Cake Mix and Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix.

In Canada, a flavor called Betty Crocker Super Moist Rainbow Bit Cake Mix has been recalled as well. More information can be found about the recall of these mixes here.

In all three cake mixes, a General Mills supplier used Gold Medal Wondra flour, a quick-dissolving variety, which has since been recalled.

Three types of flour, all manufactured by General Mills, are involved in the overall recall: Gold Medal Flour, Signature Kitchens Flour, and Gold Medal Wondra Flour. The specific lots recalled can be found at here.

Since last month, General Mills has voluntarily recalled 30 million pounds of flour after an E. coli outbreak was reported in June by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Flour produced at a General Mills facility in Kansas City, Missouri, is believed to be the source of the contamination, CDC officials said earlier this month. General Mills said that the FDA identified one sample from its recalled flour that tested positive for E. coli O121.

Since the outbreak was first reported, there have been 42 reported cases of E. coli infection and 11 people were hospitalized, according to the CDC. Those infected ranged in age from 1 to 95 with a median age of 18, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of E. coli infection include diarrhea and cramps. In rare cases, the disease can lead to kidney failure.