June 16,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Washington DC, The New Jersey Department of Health is working with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and several other states on an outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka associated with Kellogg’s Honey Smacks Cereal.
As of June 14, 2018; 73 people have been infected from 31 states. NJ currently has three confirmed cases associated with this outbreak, one each in Bergen, Mercer and Gloucester. Thirty (77%) of 39 people interviewed reported eating cold cereal and 14 people specifically reported eating Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal. New Jersey cases interviewed so far did not report consuming the product. Additional details on this outbreak can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/Mbandaka-06-18/index.html
On June 14, 2018, the Kellogg Company recalled 15.3 oz. and 23 oz. packages of Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal that have a “best if used by” date from June 14, 2018 through June 14, 2019. The recalled products were distributed across the United States as well as in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, the Caribbean, Guam, Tahiti and Saipan. Consumers are being advised to not eat any of the recalled Honey Smacks cereal even if no one got sick and to throw the rest away or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Any containers that the cereal was stored in should be washed with warm, soapy water before re-using. Additional details on the recall can be found at: https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm610815.htm