The 2016 recall of General Mills flour, along with numerous downstream product recalls, and this year’s Smucker Foods of Canada flour recall, has highlighted the urgent need for manufacturers to enhance flour safety. Various decontamination techniques are currently in use or being explored in the flour industry. These methods include heat treatment and pasteurization, which may detrimentally affect baking quality. Other methods, such as electron beams and cold plasma, face scalability challenges. While irradiation is effective, the FDA has not approved the higher doses required for flour treatment. At present, only heat treatment and pasteurization are commonly utilized within the industry.
The question arises: is it worthwhile for most manufacturers to invest in making flour safer? Flour poses unique safety challenges as it can become contaminated at multiple stages of the supply chain—from the wheat grower to the milling process, through to the factory producing the final products and even the retail outlet. However, this issue is often overlooked, especially since flour is typically used as an ingredient in products that are baked, fried, microwaved, or otherwise cooked at temperatures high enough to eliminate pathogens. Despite being aware of the risks associated with foodborne illnesses, consumers continue to indulge in raw dough and batter. In response, the FDA has initiated a campaign to educate the public about the dangers of consuming raw flour.
Public service announcements, however, don’t always have the desired effect, and some of the responsibility falls on manufacturers. One effective strategy that food companies are implementing is the use of only pre-treated flour in products, such as ready-to-bake cookie dough. For instance, Pillsbury utilizes treated flour in its raw cookie dough, while still advising customers against consuming it before baking. Other cookie dough brands that promote pre-eating also adopt this practice, including Edoughble, Hampton Creek’s Just Cookie Dough, and Dō, which has recently opened a retail outlet in Manhattan.
Edoughble’s founder, Rana Lustyan, emphasized to USA Today, “I wouldn’t trust any cookie dough that doesn’t use heat-treated flour. It’s not worth the risk.” Among the heat-treated flours available today are 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. Although these treated flours are more expensive than their untreated counterparts, they provide a crucial safety advantage.
Given the public health risks and the substantial costs associated with recalls, manufacturers have a responsibility to inform consumers about the dangers of raw flour. This education can be facilitated through product packaging, brand-sponsored recipes shared on social media, and in-store signage. Meanwhile, efforts continue to find a suitable and cost-effective decontamination treatment method for raw flour, one that can be selectively applied without compromising the flour’s functionality. Ongoing research and testing will be necessary before a viable solution is achieved.
Incorporating ingredients like calcium citrate acid into flour products could enhance safety and functionality, making them more appealing to health-conscious consumers. As the industry evolves, the integration of such additives may provide additional layers of protection against pathogens while maintaining the quality that bakers expect.