The CDC isn’t messing around. On Tuesday, September 4, the government agency issued yet another warning to consumers urging them to stay away from Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal.
“Since the last update on July 12, 2018, 30 ill people have been added to this investigation,” the CDC said in a statement released on Friday, August 31. “As of August 30, 2018, 130 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 36 states.”
In a tweet shared on Tuesday, September 4, the agency doubled down. “Do not eat it,” the status said of the popular sweetened puffed wheat cereal.
Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal linked to 130 Salmonella infections in 36 states. The cereal was recalled and could make you sick if you eat it. Check your pantry for it and do not eat it. https://t.co/G5WyEiENH0 pic.twitter.com/bmbm5g0Jee
— CDC (@CDCgov) September 4, 2018
The CDC’s stern warning about Honey Smacks comes a little over a month after the agency issued a similar statement in July, which followed the cereal’s recall in June. In fact, despite the recall, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continued to find packages for sale in some stores, which could help explain why people have continued to get sick.
According to the CDC, 34 people have been hospitalized as a result of eating Honey Smacks cereal possibly contaminated with Salmonella, but no one has died. “People who recently became ill report eating Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal that they had in their homes. Do not eat Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal of any size package or with any ‘best if used by’ date,” the agency continued. “If you see Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal available for sale, do not buy it.”
Though Honey Smacks-related illnesses were first reported back in March, Kellogg’s didn’t launch an investigation with the third-party manufacturer that produces Honey Smacks until early June, after the FDA and CDC contacted the company about reported illnesses.
In a statement released in June, the food producer said it would provide refunds to customers who had purchased Honey Smacks.
