If you have a box of Honey Smacks, it's time to throw it away.
The CDC announced Kellogg's is voluntarily recalling the cereal after reports of 73 salmonella outbreaks in 31 states. This includes both the 15.3 oz. and 23 oz. packages of the cereal with the "best if used by" date from June 14, 2018 through June 14, 2019. For the 15.3 oz boxes, the UPC code, which can be found at the bottom of the box, should read 38000 39103 whereas the 23.0 oz ones are 38000 14810.
According to Kellogg's site, they "launched an investigation with the third-party manufacturer who produces Honey Smacks immediately after being contacted by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding reported illnesses." At this point, Kellogg's says only Honey Smacks are affected by the recall.
Salmonella symptoms include diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal cramps which can happen up to 12-72 hours after being exposed to the germ. It can also "produce serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail, or elderly people and others with weakened immune symptoms." The sickness can last from four to seven days and most people can recover without medical treatment. However, sometimes it can "result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses."
More information on the outbreak can be found here. This is far from the first salmonella-related incident this year. Over 200 million eggs were recalled as well.
