Elizabeth Weise

USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — In a rare recall of baking and cooking flour, General Mills on Tuesday issued a recall of 10 million pounds of flour because of a possible link to an outbreak of E. coli that has sickened 38 people in 20 states since December.

The recall covers some bags of Gold Medal bleached and unbleached flour, bleached and unbleached Signature Kitchen flour, Gold Medal self-rising flour and Gold Medal Wondra quick-mixing flour. A full list of the recalled flours is listed below and on the General Mills website.

General Mills’ Gold Medal flour is the most widely used flour in the United States, spokesman Mike Siemienas said.

The E. coli outbreak involves E. coli O121, a potentially deadly Shiga toxin-producing variant of the bacteria that can cause cramps, diarrhea that's sometimes bloody, vomiting and on occasion life-threatening complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Retailers that sold the recalled flour include Safeway, Albertsons, Jewel, Shaws, Vons, United, Randalls, and Acme.

The CDC found about half of the people sickened in the outbreak of E. coli O121 reported making something homemade with flour prior to becoming ill. Some reported using a General Mills brand of flour.

General Mills noted no E. coli O121 has been found in any of its flour products, and the company is issuing the recall out of an abundance of caution.

“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,” Liz Nordlie, president of General Mills Baking division, said in a statement.

The flour was milled at General Mills’ Kansas City, Mo., plant, said Siemienas.

Food borne illness outbreaks linked to flour are extremely rare. Seattle food safety lawyer Bill Marler, widely regarded as an expert in the field, said the only other one he could recall was the 2009 recall of Nestle Toll House cookie dough, which was believed to be tied to the flour used to make the dough.

General Mills noted flour is made by milling wheat, which is grown outdoors and carries the risk of bacteria. The bacteria are killed by baking, frying or boiling.

The company reminded consumers to wash hands, work surfaces, and utensils thoroughly after contact with raw dough products or flour, and to never eat raw dough or batter.

The people who got sick may have consumed raw dough or batter, General Mills said in a statement.

Minneapolis, Minn.-based General Mills' (GIS) stock dropped slightly in after-hours trading on the news.

Recalled flour:

- 13.5-ounce Gold Medal Wondra, UPC 000-16000-18980; Better if Used by Dates 25FEB2017 thru 30MAR2017

- 2-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, UPC 000-16000-10710; Better if Used by Dates 25MAY2017KC thru 03JUN2017K

- 5-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, UPC 000-16000-10610; Better if Used by Dates 25MAY2017KC, 27MAY2017KC thru 31MAY2017KC, 01JUN2017KC, 03JUN2017KC thru 05JUN2017KC, 11JUN2017KC thru 14JUN2017KC

- 10-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, UPC 000-16000-10410; Better if Used by Dates 02JUN2017KC,03JUN2017KC

- 10-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour Banded Pack, UPC 000-16000-10410; Better if Used by Dates 03JUN2017KC, 04JUN2017KC, 05JUN2017KC

- 5-pound Gold Medal Unbleached Flour, UPC 000-16000-19610; Better if Used by Dates 25MAY2017KC, 27MAY2017KC, 03JUN2017KC, 04JUN2017KC

- 5-pound Signature Kitchens All Purpose Flour Enriched Bleached, UPC 000-21130-53001; Better if Used by Dates BB MAY 28 2017

- 5-pound Signature Kitchens Unbleached Flour All Purpose Enriched, UPC 000-21130-53022; Better if Used by Dates BB MAY 27 2017

- 2-pound Gold Medal Self Rising Flour, UPC 000-16000-11710; Better if Used by Dates 23AUG2016KC