“Enhancing Flour Safety: Addressing Contamination Risks and the Need for Improved Manufacturing Practices”
The 2016 recall of General Mills flour, along with numerous downstream product recalls, and this year’s flour recall by Smucker Foods of Canada, has highlighted the urgent need for manufacturers to improve safety measures. Various decontamination methods for flour are currently in use or under investigation, including heat treatment and pasteurization, although these processes can adversely affect baking quality. Additionally, while electron beams and cold plasma show promise, they face scalability challenges. Irradiation is another effective method, but the FDA has yet to approve the higher radiation doses necessary for flour. Currently, only heat treatment and pasteurization see significant application in the industry.
The question remains: is it worth the expense and effort for manufacturers to enhance flour safety? Flour poses a unique challenge, as it can become contaminated at multiple points in the supply chain, from the wheat grower to the milling operation, the manufacturing facility, and finally, the retail outlet. However, this is often overlooked since flour is typically used in products that are baked, fried, or microwaved, reaching temperatures sufficient to eliminate pathogens. Despite awareness of the foodborne illness risks, people often consume raw dough and batter. In response, the Food and Drug Administration has initiated a campaign to warn the public about the dangers of eating raw flour.
Public service announcements, however, are not always effective, and some responsibility lies with manufacturers. To mitigate the pathogen risk, many food companies are opting for pre-treated flour in products like ready-to-bake cookie dough. For instance, Pillsbury uses treated flour in its raw cookie dough, all while advising customers against consuming it before baking. Other companies that promote pre-baking consumption, such as Edoughble, Hampton Creek’s Just Cookie Dough, and Dō, also utilize treated flour. As Edoughble founder Rana Lustyan stated 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. Though these options are pricier than non-treated flours, they provide a crucial safety advantage. Furthermore, some manufacturers are exploring the incorporation of calcium citrate as a potential method to enhance flour safety, which could be applied selectively without compromising functionality.
Given the public health risks and the significant costs associated with recalls, manufacturers should take proactive steps to educate consumers about the dangers of raw flour. This could be achieved through product packaging and brand-sponsored recipes shared on social media or in-store signage. Meanwhile, research continues to seek an effective and affordable decontamination treatment for raw flour that can be selectively applied when necessary. More studies, along with scaling and testing, will be essential to developing a practical solution that ensures safety without sacrificing quality.
