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Has General Mills Stock (GIS) Been Affected by E.coli Concerns?

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General Mills Inc. (GIS - Free Report) is voluntarily recalling an estimated 10 million pounds of flour over E. coli concerns after customers who used the company’s products reported getting sick during the last five months.

General Mills said in a statement Tuesday that local and federal authorities have been researching 38 different occurrences across 20 states related to a specific type of E. coli (E. coli O121) between December 21, 2015, and May 3, 2016. While attempting to track the cause of the illness, the CDC found that approximately half of the individuals reported making “something homemade with flour at some point prior to becoming ill.” Of that half, a number of those individuals used General Mills flour.

“As a leading provider of flour for 150 years, we felt it was important to not only recall the product and replace it for consumers if there was any doubt, but also to take this opportunity to remind our consumers how to safely handle flour,” said Liz Nordlie, president of General Mills Baking division.

Although most strains of E. coli are harmless, E. coli O121 is a potentially deadly bacterium. Seniors, the very young, and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness. General Mills has not actually found the E. coli strain in any of its flour products or in the flour manufacturing plant.

The recall covers six types of flour sold under the Gold Medal, Wondra and Signature Kitchen brands. The products carry the following UPC numbers: 000-16000-18980, 000-16000-10710, 000-16000-10610, 000-16000-10410, 000-16000-19610, 000-21130-53001, 000-21130-53022 and 000-16000-11710.

Despite this serious E. coli concern, GIS stock has not been affected. Shares of General Mills remained relatively stagnant during Wednesday trading and as of 1:20 PM ET, the stock is up only 0.11%.

 

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