Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Not sure if you all saw this, but I received it today:

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Voluntary Recall

The King Arthur Flour Company has initiated a voluntary recall of a limited number of our 5-pound bags of all-purpose and bread flour. King Arthur Flour places great emphasis on providing customers with the highest quality products and services, therefore out of an abundance of caution we are issuing this recall.

Small, polyurethane balls approximately 7mm to 9mm (1/4" to 3/8") in size may have dropped into bags during the final sifting stage of the milling process. The balls have a smooth surface and no sharp edges and are made from food grade material. Because of their bright blue color and size (about half the diameter of a dime), they are easily seen in the flour.

Any affected products may be returned for a full refund. For more information call the King Arthur Flour Consumer Hotline at 866 797 9178, open Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm EST.

The following King Arthur Flour products are included in the voluntary recall:

King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, 5-lb. bag UPC 0-71012-01050-9
(located on the left side panel under the recipe) with a Best Used By Date plus Lot Code (located beneath the nutrition facts panel) as follows:
Best Used By Lot Code
12/26/2013 L12A26B
12/26/2013 L12A26C
12/27/2013 L12A27A
01/18/2014 A13A18A
01/18/2014 A13A18B
01/21/2014 A13A21A
01/22/2014 A13A22B
01/30/2014 A13A30A
01/31/2014 A13A31A
the lot code is located at the bottom of a 5-lb flour bag

King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour, 5-lb. bag UPC 0-71012-4-105-3
(located on the left side panel under the recipe) with a Best Used By Date plus Lot Code (located beneath the nutrition facts panel) as follows:
Best Used By Lot Code
12/26/2013 L12A26A
12/26/2013 L12A26B
01/03/2014 A13A03A
01/03/2014 A13A03B
01/16/2014 A13A16B
01/17/2014 A13A17A
01/23/2014 A13A23A
01/28/2014 A13A28A
01/31/2014 A13A31A
the lot code is located at the bottom of a 5-lb flour bag

Thank you for your understanding as we work through this challenge.

“King Arthur Flour is adamant about quality and safety. A very limited number of our flour bags are affected by this incident; but we wanted to be sure our customers are aware of the recall, and know to check their flour to see if it's involved.” Steve Voigt, CEO

KAF

Well, that explains why the shelves were so empty when I got groceries last night. I only needed white whole wheat, so I got lucky there, but most of the King Arthur section had been cleared out and the shelf tag said "recalled." I already threw out the bag from the AP flour I bought 2 weeks ago, but I'll definitely be watching to make sure my flour doesn't have a case of blue balls.

I really want an explanation of how these ended up in the flour.

This all started way before February 12, otherwise I would have suggested that somebody lost some Mardi Gras beads in a batch of flour.

I'm guessing it was http://www.mullerbeltex.com/download/E% ... nigers.pdf , but made in balls and blue (it looks like the shape isn't critical). It certainly is the stuff of jokes, and I am sure many have been made on the factory floor.

Paul - how the hell did you come across that delightful bit of trivia

The google is strong with me.

Last week the ShopRite near me had all of the KAF on sale - $3.20 for 5lb bags of any of them! Definitely the cheapest I have seen it in many years, and my guess is that they are trying to get back some customers after this recall. I stocked up on the BF, and got one WWF, to stick in the freezer.