Salmonella enterica bacteria become more virulent and therefore better at causing disease in the micrograity environment of space.
Salmonella 101: What you need to know
01:09 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

New: All Kellogg Honey Smack cereal has been recalled

Twenty-four of the sick patients have been been hospitalized; no deaths have been reported

CNN  — 

A salmonella outbreak that has caused illness in 73 people across 31 states is linked to Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

Just before the agency announced the outbreak, the Kellogg Co. announced a recall of 15.3-ounce and 23-ounce packages of the cereal with a “best if used by” date from June 14, 2018, through June 14, 2019, according to a statement.

However, on Friday the US Food and Drug Administration expanded that recall. “The FDA is advising consumers to not eat and to discard any Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal. This is regardless of size or ‘best if used by’ dates. The recall notice accounts for all of the product that is on the market within the cereal’s estimated one year shelf-life. However, Honey Smacks products with earlier dates could also potentially be contaminated,” the agency website said.

Twenty-four of the sick patients have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported, according to the CDC. New York has reported the highest number of cases – seven – while California, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have each reported five cases. The other states involved in the outbreak have reported between one and four related illnesses.

Kellogg has recalled some Honey Smacks cereal due to a salmonella outbreak.

Health officials have identified Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal as the likely source of the outbreak, based on epidemiological evidence. As part of the outbreak investigation, 39 of the patients who became ill have been interviewed, and 30 reported eating cold cereal in the week before their symptoms began. Fourteen of them specifically said they ate Honey Smacks.

The earliest reported symptoms in this outbreak began March 3, according to the CDC. Symptoms of salmonella include fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain that begins 12 to 72 hours after exposure to the bacteria. Most people recover in four to seven days.

After the CDC and the US Food and Drug Administration contacted Kellogg’s about the reported illness, the company said it immediately launched an investigation with the third-party manufacturer that produces the cereal.

Join the conversation

  • See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter.

    “The FDA’s staff has initiated an inspection at the facility that manufactures Kellogg’s Honey Smacks and is working quickly with the company to collect additional information,” the agency said in a statement. This is part of the ongoing investigation as the CDC, the FDA, state and local health officials work together in an effort to identify the source of the contamination.

    They were sold by retailers in the United States, including Guam and Saipan. Outside of the United States, the cereal was distributed in Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten, the Bahamas, Barbados, Tortola, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, and Tahiti.

    Retailers have been advised not to sell the recalled cereal, and consumers should throw away or return any Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal without eating it.