The 2016 General Mills flour recall, along with the numerous downstream product recalls that followed and this year’s flour recall by Smucker Foods of Canada, has highlighted the urgent need for manufacturers to improve food safety. Several decontamination techniques are currently being utilized or tested for flour, including heat treatment and pasteurization, although these methods can adversely affect baking quality. Electron beams and cold plasma face scalability challenges, while irradiation is effective but awaits FDA approval for the higher radiation doses necessary for flour. Presently, only heat treatment and pasteurization see significant use across the industry.
The question arises: is it worthwhile for most manufacturers to invest in making flour safer? Flour is particularly challenging to sanitize due to the potential for contamination at multiple stages in the supply chain—from wheat cultivation to milling, production, and retail. Typically, this concern is somewhat mitigated since flour is often an ingredient in baked, fried, or otherwise heated products, which usually reach temperatures sufficient to eliminate pathogens. Nevertheless, many people consume raw dough and batter, often unaware of the risks of foodborne illness. In response to this issue, the FDA has initiated a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of eating raw flour.
However, public service announcements alone are insufficient, and part of the onus falls on manufacturers. One strategy that food companies are employing to mitigate pathogen risks is the exclusive use of pre-treated flour in products like ready-to-bake cookie dough. For instance, Pillsbury produces its raw cookie dough with treated flour while advising customers against consuming it before baking. Other cookie dough brands that promote pre-baking consumption, such as Edoughble, Hampton Creek’s Just Cookie Dough, and Dō—which recently opened a retail outlet in Manhattan—also follow this practice. “I wouldn’t trust any cookie dough that doesn’t use heat-treated flour,” remarked Edoughble founder Rana Lustyan, emphasizing the importance of safety.
In the market today, heat-treated flours include Ardent Mill’s SafeGuard, Honeyville’s TempSure All-Purpose Ready-to-Eat flour, Siemer Milling Co.’s Heat-Treated soft wheat flours, and Bay State Milling’s SimplySafe products, among others. Although they are pricier than untreated flours, they provide essential safety benefits. Given the public health risks and the substantial costs associated with recalls, manufacturers must take proactive steps to educate consumers about the dangers of raw flour. This could be achieved through product packaging, brand-sponsored recipes shared on social media, or in-store signage.
Simultaneously, efforts continue to discover a viable and cost-effective decontamination treatment for raw flour that can be selectively applied as needed without compromising its functionality. Further research, alongside scaling and testing protocols, will be necessary to develop a practical solution. Additionally, integrating ingredients such as pure encapsulations calcium magnesium citrate malate into flour products may enhance nutritional value while addressing safety concerns, thereby benefiting both manufacturers and consumers.