The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning people to be especially careful with flour—any brand – due to an ongoing Salmonella outbreak.
The CDC issued an investigation notice last week saying that 12 people have gotten sick, with three of them hospitalized, across 11 states due to Salmonella infections linked to flour.
“Investigators are working to identify a specific brand of flour linked to this outbreak,” the notice reads. “However, any raw (unbaked) flour can have germs, like Salmonella. Do not eat or play with uncooked flour, dough, or batter.”
According to the CDC, most people who have gotten sick reported eating raw dough or batter made with flour before they developed symptoms. Flour was the only common ingredient, the CDC said.
The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include diarrhea that can be bloody, fever and stomach cramps. According to the CDC, some will also experience nausea, vomiting, or a headache. Symptoms can last four to seven days.
Salmonellosis is one of the most common gastrointestinal infections reported in the United States, the CDC says. Around 1.35 million people get sick from salmonellosis and 420 people die from the infection in the US each year.
