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FDA: 23 People in 14 States Sickened From Recalled Breakfast Cereal
Saturday, April 12, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS - At least 23 people in 14 states have been sickened by the
same strain of salmonella found in two breakfast cereals recalled by
Malt-O-Meal, the federal Food and Drug Administration said Saturday.
Officials in Minnesota are investigating whether a case in that state might
be linked to the cereals produced by the Minneapolis-based company, the
state health department said.
Malt-O-Meal voluntarily recalled its unsweetened Puffed Rice and Puffed
Wheat cereals April 5 after finding salmonella contamination during routine
testing. The affected bags were produced in the past 12 months in
Northfield.
"The Malt-O-Meal company has been extremely cooperative in this
investigation and has done the right thing to protect the public's health,"
Heidi Kassenborg, director of the dairy and food inspection division at the
Minnesota Department of Agriculture, said in a statement.
Three people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms of salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea
and abdominal cramps. It can be life-threatening for people with poor health
or weakened immune systems, including young children and the elderly.
The FDA said people who experience such symptoms after eating a puffed wheat
or puffed rice cereal made by Malt-O-Meal should contact their doctors and
report the illness to state or local health authorities.
The FDA said the recalled products were distributed nationally under the
Malt-O-Meal brand name, as well as private labels including Acme, America's
Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw's,
ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality. The cereal bags have "best if used by"
dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as APR0808), through March 18, 2009 (coded
as MAR1809).
Consumers with products from the recalled lots are advised to throw them
out, and retailers have been told to remove the cereals from their shelves.
The CDC said that as of Friday it had received reports of 21 people ill with
the same salmonella strain in 13 states. California reported 1; Colorado, 1;
Delaware, 1; Maine, 3; Massachusetts, 2; Minnesota, 1; North Dakota, 1; New
Hampshire, 2; New Jersey, 3; New York, 3; Pennsylvania, 1; Rhode Island, 1;
and Vermont, 1.
It wasn't clear Saturday what the 14th state was or whether the two
additional cases were from there.
FDA: 23 People in 14 States Sickened From Recalled Breakfast Cereal
Saturday, April 12, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS - At least 23 people in 14 states have been sickened by the
same strain of salmonella found in two breakfast cereals recalled by
Malt-O-Meal, the federal Food and Drug Administration said Saturday.
Officials in Minnesota are investigating whether a case in that state might
be linked to the cereals produced by the Minneapolis-based company, the
state health department said.
Malt-O-Meal voluntarily recalled its unsweetened Puffed Rice and Puffed
Wheat cereals April 5 after finding salmonella contamination during routine
testing. The affected bags were produced in the past 12 months in
Northfield.
"The Malt-O-Meal company has been extremely cooperative in this
investigation and has done the right thing to protect the public's health,"
Heidi Kassenborg, director of the dairy and food inspection division at the
Minnesota Department of Agriculture, said in a statement.
Three people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms of salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea
and abdominal cramps. It can be life-threatening for people with poor health
or weakened immune systems, including young children and the elderly.
The FDA said people who experience such symptoms after eating a puffed wheat
or puffed rice cereal made by Malt-O-Meal should contact their doctors and
report the illness to state or local health authorities.
The FDA said the recalled products were distributed nationally under the
Malt-O-Meal brand name, as well as private labels including Acme, America's
Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw's,
ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality. The cereal bags have "best if used by"
dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as APR0808), through March 18, 2009 (coded
as MAR1809).
Consumers with products from the recalled lots are advised to throw them
out, and retailers have been told to remove the cereals from their shelves.
The CDC said that as of Friday it had received reports of 21 people ill with
the same salmonella strain in 13 states. California reported 1; Colorado, 1;
Delaware, 1; Maine, 3; Massachusetts, 2; Minnesota, 1; North Dakota, 1; New
Hampshire, 2; New Jersey, 3; New York, 3; Pennsylvania, 1; Rhode Island, 1;
and Vermont, 1.
It wasn't clear Saturday what the 14th state was or whether the two
additional cases were from there.
