Salmonella Illness Linked to Recalled Cereal
At least 23 people in 14 states have been diagnosed with salmonellosis from the same strain of Salmonella that was found in recently recalled Malt-O-Meal cereals, according to a Press Release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On April 5, Malt-O-Meal announced that it was recalling its unsweetened "Puffed Rice" and "Puffed Wheat" cereals with "Best If Used By" dates between April 8, 2008 (coded as "APR0808") and March 18, 2009 (coded as "MAR1809"), after routine testing found salmonella contamination in cereal produced in late March. The impacted cereals were sold under the "Malt-O-Meal" brand, and were also marketed under private labels (see a comprehensive listing of affected products from Malt-O-Meal). The FDA is advising consumers to throw out any cereal in their homes from these recalled lots, and is instructing retailers to promptly remove the cereals from their shelves.