CDC Says Do Not Buy Sell or Eat Honey Smacks Cereal

The salmonella outbreak involved the popular Honey Smacks cereal continues, and now the CDC has issued a serious warning: do not buy, sell, or eat the cereal.

Illnesses associated with Honey Smacks began on March 3, 2018 and are believed to be caused by salmonella tainted cereal. Since that date, the CDC has issued a series of warnings to consumers and retailers.

Since the last update on July 12, 2018, 30 more illnesses have been reported, bringing the total to 130 cases from 36 states. Thirty-four people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. The FDA reports that recalled Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal is still being sold in some locations, despite the recall earlier this summer.

Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal has a shelf life of one year and could still be in many homes.

Important advice for consumers and retailers:

• Do not eat any Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal, regardless of package size or best-by date. Check your home for it and throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. The Kellogg Company recalled the cereal on June 14, 2018.
• Retailers should not sell or serve any Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal.
• Even if some of the cereal has been eaten and no one got sick, throw the rest of it away or return it for a refund.
• If you store cereal that looks like Kellogg’s Honey Smacks in a container without the packaging and don’t remember the brand or type, throw it away. Kellogg’s Honey Smacks is a sweetened puffed wheat cereal.
  
  • Thoroughly wash the container with warm, soapy water before using it again, to remove harmful germs that could contaminate other food.