Back in mid-June the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a bulletin warning consumers that Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal could potentially be contaminated with Salmonella. Over 70 cases had already been confirmed and linked to the cereal, and Kellogg’s was in the middle of a massive recall to get the product pulled from shelves. Well, it’s getting worse, and the FDA is now asking people to please, please, PLEASE stop eating the tainted cereal.
In a new update to the outbreak timeline, the FDA now reveals that 100 people have been infected with Salmonella as a result of eating the cereal. Cases have come in from 33 states and roughly one-third of those affected have had to be hospitalized.
The recall issued by Kellogg’s remains unchanged, and affects both the large and small box sizes of Honey Smacks cereal with best-if-used-by dates between June 14th, 2018 and June 14th, 2019. However, the FDA is asking that consumers avoid purchasing or consuming any Honey Smacks cereal for the time being — regardless of the dates on the box — out of an abundance of caution.
If you have a box of Honey Smacks that falls within those dates you should most definitely not eat it, and promptly contact Kellogg’s for a full refund. Kellogg’s contact information can be found on the FDA’s official recall page.
Additionally, if you stored the tainted cereal in any kind of a reusable container you’ll need to wash and sanitize that container before you use it again. The FDA also suggests sanitizing anything that the food came in contact with, including utensils and any other surfaces.
The symptoms of Salmonella infection are as follows, via the FDA:
Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment. Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection.
In some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that they need to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonellainfection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.
If you think you may have eaten some of the contaminated cereal and are experiencing symptoms, contact your doctor as soon as possible.
