Sickness linked to South Island flour

Health officials are warning bakers against licking their bowls as the country grapples with a major salmonella outbreak.

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) believes the national salmonella outbreak that has affected almost 50 people over four months may be linked to contaminated flour.

The source of contamination may be centred on South Island wheat supplies, as 41 of the 48 affected live in the region.

The illness, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea, has left five people in hospital.

Celebrity chef and keen baker Simon Holst said that while it might be sensible to warn people about the dangers of uncooked flour, it would not stop him licking the baking spoon.

NZFSA compliance and investigation director Geoff Allen said investigations had found the relatively rare salmonella phage type 42 strain in bags of flour. The same strain had infected people across the country.

The bacteria was found in the homes of two people who had the bug.

Allen said the evidence was not conclusive but indicated the infection was most likely, especially in children, to have come from eating uncooked flour in home-made play dough and raw cake and batter mix.

Champion, Edmonds, Homelife and Pam's brand flours with best-before dates between June and July 2009 could be infected and should not be eaten raw, he said.

The manufacturers of these flours had voluntarily removed them from store shelves, he said.

International studies showed one in 100 batches of flour contained salmonella, he said.

Wheat was a natural product and not greatly processed, so if a batch was contaminated at the source, it could pass through the milling process, Allen said. The source of contamination was not known.

Allen said scientists hoped to identify the source to prevent a repeat outbreak.

"NZFSA is advising people to ... not eat raw batter or other mixes (such as cake or muffin) that contain uncooked baking ingredients," Allen said.

"Flour is a raw ingredient and intended to be consumed cooked ... The affected batches of these brands can be safely used to cook if proper care is taken.

"If people have used the brands in their baking for biscuits, cakes, breads or other Christmas treats, they can be reassured that the cooking will have killed the bacteria and that these home-baked foods are safe to eat."

Holst said it was a shame people were being warned to think twice about allowing children to lick the spoon during baking.

"It's right up there with not allowing kids to eat saveloys from the supermarket. You can understand the reason, but it still seems like a shame."

Holst advised people to use their own judgment.

Canterbury medical officer of health Dr Ramon Pink said it was positive that the likely source of the salmonella outbreak had been identified and that manufacturers were helping take the contaminated food out of circulation.

Canterbury scientists had been taking samples from packets of flour and mills this week to pin down the source of contamination, he said.

That flour was the culprit was a "quirky" discovery as it was a relatively rare source compared to meat, Pink said.

- © Fairfax NZ News