CDC says ‘Do not eat this cereal’ as salmonella outbreak reaches 100

BY Christopher Lang, Correspondent, @topherlang2 | MonroeNow | Jul 13, 2018

The message from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a Thursday tweet was simple and straight forward: “Do not eat this cereal.”

The warning came as the CDC announced that 100 people have become infected with salmonella linked to the popular Kellogg’s cereal Honey Smacks.

There have been no reported deaths linked the outbreak, however, the CDC says at least 30 of the 100 people infected have been hospitalized.

So far there are cases reported in 33 states, including New Jersey, with New York having the most number of people becoming sick.

“Do not eat any Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal, regardless of package size or best-by date,” the CDC said on Twitter and in its latest report. “Check your home for it and throw it away, or return it to the place of purchase for a refund.” It also added that even if people in your household have eaten the cereal and did not get sick, it should still be thrown away.

“The Kellogg Company recalled all Honey Smacks products that were on the market within the cereal’s one-year shelf-life,” the CDC said. “However, Honey Smacks products with earlier dates could also potentially be contaminated.”

Kellogg’s started recalling the contaminated product on June 14. Retailers are not supposed to sell the product, but some Twitter users claim they have seen it in their local grocery stores, and the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it believes some stores are still selling the cereal.

Salmonella symptoms can include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. They typically appear 12 to 72 hours after being infected with the bacteria. Symptoms can last four to seven days. Most people improve without any treatment, but there are cases that it can result in treatment at a hospital or even in rare cases death.