The Kellogg Company has announced that it’s recalling Honey Smacks cereal with “use by” dates between June 14, 2018 and June 14, 2019. The cereal has been linked to America’s current salmonella outbreak which currently affects at least 31 states and follows an announcement this week that consumers should avoid pre-cut melon.
“The FDA has already initiated an inspection of the facility that we believe is linked to the Salmonella contamination,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement about Kellogg’s. “And we’ve worked with the company to immediately initiate a recall of this product.”
The recalled Honey Smacks have UPC codes that read “38000 39103" on the 15.3 oz box and “38000 14810" on the 23.0 oz box. The UPC code can be found on the bottom of each box. Consumers are advised to throw away the cereal or return it to the retailer where you purchased it.
Healthy people typically experience symptoms like fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain after being exposed to salmonella. But it can be fatal in young kids, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.
The CDC’s recent investigation into the national salmonella outbreak discovered that 30 of 39 people interviewed by the agency reported eating cold cereal. According to CNN, 14 people reported that the cereal they recalled eating was Kellogg’s Honey Smacks. The majority of those who have reported becoming sick after eating the cereal are in California, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. But the nation’s salmonella problem isn’t just coming from cereal.
At least 60 people in 23 states have become ill from pre-cut melon purchased at a variety of supermarkets since April. The melon is in some of America’s largest chains, including Trader Joe’s, Walgreens, Costco, Kroger, and Amazon-owned Whole Foods. No one has been hospitalized and there have been no reported deaths so far linked to the national salmonella outbreak.
Multistate outbreaks of salmonella this year have also been caused by dried coconut, chicken salad, raw sprouts, and Rose Acre Farms eggs. Roughly 200 million eggs were recalled last month after 22 people got sick. Even Kratom, a recreational drug similar to opioids, has been tainted with salmonella.
“Earlier this year, I committed the FDA to improve on our recall processes because I believe that consumers should have actionable and timely information to protect themselves from recalled products. Recalls are a cornerstone of our consumer protection mission,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.
“Today’s action is part of the commitment we made earlier this year to act quickly in response to identified risks and to notify consumers early in the course of our investigations.”