Trash All Kellogg’s Honey Smacks Cereal in Your House Right Now, CDC Says After Salmonella Outbreak
Mornings just got a little bit more miserable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are advising consumers against eating Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal — regardless of the package size or the “best if used by” date — after a multi-state salmonella outbreak that has sickened dozens of people.
The CDC recommends checking your home for the contaminated cereal and either tossing it or returning it to the store for a refund, even if no one in your house has gotten sick yet. If you normally remove your cereal from the bag and store it in a cannister, dump the cereal and wash out the container with warm, soapy water before using it again to ensure you’ve removed all the bad bacteria.
(Photo Credit: Courtesy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
So far, there have been a reported 73 cases and 24 hospitalizations in 31 states, according to the CDC. There have been no reported deaths as of this writing. Though Kellogg’s has already issued a voluntary recall, the affected products were shipped to stores across the United States as well as Guam, Saipan, and internationally. The 31 states where cases of salmonella infections were reported are Alabama (2), Arizona (1), California (5), Connecticut (3), Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (3), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (2), Massachusetts (5), Maryland (1), Michigan (4), Mississippi (1), Montana (1), North Carolina (3), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (3), New York (7), Ohio (1), Oklahoma (2), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (5), Rhode Island (2), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (2), Utah (1), Virginia (4), Washington (3), Wisconsin (1), and West Virginia (3).
Salmonella is an infection that often manifests as diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fever. The infection usually lasts between four and seven days, and most people recover without needing treatment. In rare cases, a person will need to be hospitalized if their diarrhea is severe. Children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are most likely to be develop an infection.
The recall follows another salmonella outbreak earlier this month from precut melon sold in major stores around the country.
The CDC’s investigation is ongoing, and we’ll continue to update this story if and when more news is available.
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