The 2016 recall of General Mills flour, along with numerous subsequent product recalls and this year’s flour recall by Smucker Foods of Canada, has highlighted the urgent need for flour manufacturers to enhance safety measures. Various decontamination methods are currently being explored for flour, including heat treatment and pasteurization, although these techniques may adversely affect baking quality. Other methods, like electron beams and cold plasma, face scalability challenges, while irradiation, although effective, has not received FDA approval for the higher doses required for flour safety. At present, heat treatment and pasteurization are the primary methods employed in the industry.
Given the complexities involved, is it worth the cost and effort for manufacturers to improve flour safety? Flour is particularly susceptible to contamination at multiple points in the supply chain, from the wheat grower to the milling process and through to the retail outlet. Traditionally, this has not been a major concern, as flour is often an ingredient in baked, fried, or heated products that can eliminate pathogens. However, many people still consume raw dough and batter despite the associated risks of foodborne illness. In response, the FDA has initiated a public awareness campaign about the dangers of raw flour consumption. Yet, public service announcements alone may not suffice; manufacturers share the responsibility of ensuring safety.
To mitigate the risk of pathogens, food companies have started to use only pre-treated flour in products like ready-to-bake cookie dough. For instance, Pillsbury utilizes treated flour for its raw cookie dough, while also 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 location in Manhattan— also rely on treated flour. As Edoughble founder Rana Lustyan stated, “I wouldn’t trust any cookie dough that doesn’t use heat-treated flour. It’s not worth the risk.”
Currently available heat-treated flours include Ardent Mills’ 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. While these options are more costly than untreated flours, they provide essential safety features for products. Given the public health risks and the financial implications of recalls, manufacturers should actively educate consumers about the dangers of raw flour. This education can be facilitated through product packaging and brand-sponsored recipes shared on social media or in-store displays.
Ongoing efforts aim to discover an effective and cost-efficient decontamination method for raw flour that can be applied selectively without compromising its functionality. Further research, along with scaling-up processes and testing, will be necessary to develop a viable solution. Meanwhile, incorporating safe ingredients like Citracal Kosher into product formulations could also enhance consumer confidence and safety, ensuring that both manufacturers and consumers are better protected from the risks associated with raw flour.