Nunavut health department issues warning on contaminated flour

If you have bought 10 kilogram bag of Robin Hood brand All Purpose Flour, Original with lot codes containing BB/MA 2018 AL 17 and 6 291 548, don’t use it in cooking: You should be throw the flour out or return it to the location where it was purchased. (HANDOUT PHOTO)

Nunavut’s Department of Health is warning Nunavummiut about a food recall from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The recall, in effect March 28, applies to Robin Hood brand All Purpose Flour, Original.

And it’s due to possible E. coli O121 contamination. E. coli O121 is a bacteria that lives inside the lower intestines of mammals and is closely related to E. coli O157, it’s better known cousin.

All 10-kilogram bags of Robin Hood brand All Purpose Flour, Original with lot codes containing BB/MA 2018 AL 17 and 6 291 548 should be thrown out or returned to the location where they were purchased, the health department said March 29.

Food contaminated with E. coli O121 may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick, the health department said.

But symptoms of an infection can include nausea, vomiting, mild to severe abdominal cramps and watery to bloody diarrhea.

In severe cases, some people may suffer seizures or strokes, require blood transfusions and kidney dialysis, or live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die, the GN warned.

If you think you have become sick from consuming a recalled product, call your local health centre.

For more information, you can contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at 1-800-442-2342 or visit its website here.