Western Railroad Discussion > Rail's role in Cheerio recall

General Mills has recalled several days production of gluten free Cheerios made in its Lodi CA plant. Gluten wheat flour was inadvertently mixed into the oat flour stream. In extreme cases this could kill a gluten intolerant person.

Turns out the mill lost its rail service for a few days and had to use a truck reload for the final miles. A truck with wheat flour was apparently directed into the gluten free processing area.

Posted from Android

damn trains !!! ya can never count on'em when ya need too ...

Aren't they closing that plant?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/15 14:41 by BN4364.

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     How extreme?

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> General Mills has recalled several days production
> of gluten free Cheerios made in its Lodi CA plant.
> Gluten wheat flour was inadvertently mixed into
> the oat flour stream. In extreme cases this could
> kill a gluten intolerant person.

My girlfriend has celiac disease, and yes it is true that exposure to significant amounts of gluten can kill someone with an intolerance. A small amount typically leads to a few days of a very upset stomach and digestive system. Here's a good article about the contamination issue.

It is true that General Mills has stated that the plant will be closed by the end of 2015. If GM and the workers and city can work out a new deal, the plant may stay open longer. GM has threated closure before, only to stay open after working out a new deal. This threat seems more serious though, especially as cereal sales continue to decline. Last I heard, UP serves the plant on MWF with a local out of Stockton. 

John