The FDA has provided more information on the potential Duncan Hines Salmonella outbreak that many be linked to that company’s cake mixes. Five people in three states are ill with Salmonella Agnebi infections. There are two cases on Maryland, two in Ohio, and one in Wisconsin. No one has been hospitalized. We don’t know the patient age range or when the illnesses began.
The FDA is investigating the manufacturing facility that made the mixes. They are collecting environmental samples there. A sample of Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix continued the same strain of Salmonella Agbeni that sickened the five people. The match was made using whole genome sequencing (WGS), which is a very accurate way to type DNA.
Conagra is working with the FDA to conduct a recall of four different varieties of Duncan Hines cake mix from the marketplace. These products were sold nationwide and through “limited international exports.”
Check your pantries carefully to see if you have the recalled products. Each recalled product has a specific UPC number and specific “best if used by” dates that are all in 2019. If you have one of these cake mixes, throw it away or take it back to the store for a refund. Wash your hands well with soap and water after you discard the product.
You can contact attorney Fred Pritzker for help by calling 1-888-377-8900.
Food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker said, “It’s unfortunate that just about any food can be contaminated these days, even foods that don’t seem like they are possible problems. People need to become aware of these outbreaks and issues.”
This potential Duncan Hines Salmonella outbreak and cake mix recall are good reminders that consumes should handle all baking ingredients with care. A huge and deadly E. coli O157:H7 outbreak was linked to General Mills flour in 2016. People think that dry baking ingredients such as flour are not a risk factor for foodborne illness, but flour is a raw agricultural product, and can be contaminated just as raw beef, raw chicken, and raw milk can. Clean your counters, utensils, and plates and bowls carefully after you use flour in the kitchen. And never eat raw or uncooked dough or batter. Watch out for cross-contamiantion between flour and cake mix and uncooked batter and foods that are eaten uncooked, such as fruits.
The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include a fever, nausea, stomach and abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea that may be bloody or watery. Symptoms start a few hours to a few days after people eat contaminated food, and most people are sick for four to seven days. If you have been ill with these symptoms and have had these mixes in your home, contact your doctor. You may be part of this potential Duncan Hines Salmonella outbreak.
