After Salmonella Outbreak, CDC Says to Toss All Boxes of Honey Smacks Cereal

With more than 70 people across 31 states having contracted salmonella from Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, health officials are advising families to throw out any and all boxes of the puffed wheat cereal, regardless of package date or size.

The original voluntary recall was for 15.3- and 23-ounce boxes with “best if used by” dates of June 14, 2018-2019, but the FDA and CDC have now updated the advisory to include any boxes of the product, fearing boxes with earlier dates could also be contaminated.

“Do not eat Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal in any size package. Check your home for it and throw it away, or return it to the place of purchase for a refund,” the CDC notice reads.

So far, 24 of the people affected have been hospitalized, with patients ranging in age from 1 to 87 years old. Symptoms of salmonella include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, and can last up to a full week. If you think you or someone in your family may have been infected, check in with your doctor—while patients usually heal on their own, if salmonella gets into the bloodstream, it could cause other complications.

If you’ve been storing your Honey Smacks cereal in a different container, thoroughly wash it with warm, soapy water before using it again to remove any harmful germs, per CDC instructions. And if you’re not sure what kind of cereal is in your containers at home, the CDC says to pitch it just in case. Better safe than sorry.

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