The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend people not eat and retailers not sell any Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal. It might be contaminated with Salmonella and could make people sick.
The agency said 100 people infected with the outbreak strain have been reported from 33 states and 30 people have been hospitalized. Twenty-seven more ill people from 19 states were added to this outbreak since the last update on June 14, 2018.
No deaths have been reported.
At least four people have been sickened in New Jersey, the CDC says.
The agency says do not eat any Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal, regardless of package size or best-by date and return it to the place of purchase for a refund. The Kellogg Company recalled the cereal on June 14, 2018.
The Food and drug administration said they’ve become aware that recalled Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal are still being offered for sale. All Honey Smacks cereal was recalled in June 2018.
Retailers cannot legally offer the cereal for sale, Food and Drug Administration said.
The FDA has learned that some retailers are still selling this product. The FDA will continue to monitor this situation closely and follow up with retailers as we become aware of recalled products being offered for sale. Additionally, the public is urged to report any product being offered for sale to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in their region. More information about the recall can be found at FDA.gov.
State and local health officials continue to interview ill people and ask questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Fifty-five (85%) of 65 people interviewed reported eating cold cereal. In interviews, 43 people specifically reported eating Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal. Ill people in this outbreak reported this cereal more often than any other cereals or food items.
Health officials in several states collected Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal from retail locations and ill people’s homes for testing. Laboratory testing identified the outbreak strain of Salmonella Mbandaka in a sample of unopened Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal collected from a retail location in California. Laboratory testing also identified the outbreak strain in samples of leftover Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal collected from the homes of ill people in Montana, New York, and Utah.
The Kellogg Company recalled all Honey Smacks products that were on the market within the cereal’s one-year shelf-life. However, Honey Smacks products with earlier dates could also potentially be contaminated. Do not eat Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal of any size pa
According to the CDC:
- Recalled Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal has a “best if used by” date from June 14, 2018 through June 14, 2019. The “best if used by” date is on the box top.
- The recalled 15.3 oz. Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal has a UPC code of 38000 39103. The recalled 23.0 oz. Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal has a UPC code of 38000 14810. The UPC code is on the bottom of the box.
Contact a healthcare provider if you think you got sick from consuming recalled Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal.
Most people infected with Salmonella develop the following signs and symptoms 12-72 hours after being exposed to the bacteria:
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Abdominal cramps
This investigation is ongoing and the CDC will provide updates when more information is available.
