Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal has been linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 73 people in 31 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twenty-four people became so sick during their illnesses that they required hospitalization.
On June 14, a recall was issued for 15.3 oz. and 23 oz. packages of Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal with “best before dates of JUN 14, 2018 through JUN 14, 2019. The recalled 15.3 oz-packages have the UPC 3800039103 and the recalled 23 oz-packages have the UPC 3800014810. On June 15, the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changed their advice to consumers to say “Do not eat Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal of any size package or with any ‘best if used by’ date.”
Case-patients, who range in age from less than one to 87 years old, reported onset-of-illness dates from March 3, 2018, to May 28, 2018. Sixty-five percent of those sickened, who have a median age of 58, are female. The case count by state is as follows: 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), West Virginia (3).
Investigation of the Honey Smacks Outbreak
Health officials have tested Salmonella bacteria isolated from those sickened to identify the “genetic fingerprint” of the outbreak strain. In interviews with outbreak investigators, 77 percent of the case-patients interviewed reported eating cold cereal before they became ill some of whom specifically mentioned Honey Smacks.
In a press release about the Honey Smacks outbreak, The Kellogg Company said says it has “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.”
The Salmonella lawyers at the national food safety law firm Pritzker Hageman represent clients nationwide. If you have been sickened in this outbreak and have legal questions about your illness, contact them for a free consultation. There is no obligation.
Updated: This post was updated to include expanded advice to consumers from the CDC and the FDA.