Food & Dining

If you’ve picked up some imported cereal lately, you’ll want to keep reading.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that 27 more people have gotten sick in an outbreak of salmonella illness linked to recalled Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal. This brings the total number of illnesses to 100 people since March, although the outbreak was not announced until June.

Symptoms of salmonella infection include diarrhoea, fever and abdominal cramps and typically present 12 to 72 hours after exposure to the bacteria. The first cases of illness in this outbreak began with symptoms on March 3, and the most recent individuals began feeling ill on July 2.

Symptoms last about four to seven days, and although most people improve without treatment, some may require hospitalisation because of severe diarrhoea.

Thirty people have been hospitalised in this outbreak. Salmonella can also travel from the intestines to the bloodstream and ultimately the rest of the body. Death is rare but may occur if the person is not treated quickly with antibiotics.

No deaths have been reported in this outbreak.

The US Food and Drug Administration urged consumers on Thursday to avoid eating and retailers to not sell Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal because of the chance of salmonella contamination.

“The FDA has become aware that recalled Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal are still being offered for sale,” the agency said in a statement. “All Honey Smacks cereal was recalled in June 2018. Retailers cannot legally offer the cereal for sale and consumers should not purchase Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal.”

The CDC and the FDA don’t know the source of the contamination yet, but we’re staying stay away from those Honey Smacks, no matter how good they sound.

Source: Martiza Moulite/CNN-Wire

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