All Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal has been recalled, so throw it away or get a refund; CDC says, 'Do not eat this cereal'

All Honey Smacks cereal has been recalled after a multi-state salmonilla outbreak has been linked to the cereal, infecting 100 people in 33 states. Two have been infected in Kentucky.

The Kellogg Co. first recalled the product mid-June, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the cereal is still being offered for sale in some places.

"Retailers cannot legally offer the cereal for sale and consumers should not purchase Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal," says the FDA.

The federal Centers For Disease Control and Prevention warns: "Do not eat Kellog's Honey Smacks cereal of any size package or with any "best if used by date." In a tweet, the CDC said, "Do not eat this cereal."

While the official recall notice is for all Honey Smacks cereal products dated between June 14, 2018 through June 14, 2019, the FDA says you need to get rid of all of it, because Honey Smacks products with earlier dates might be contaminated.

The CDC warns that even if some of the cereal has been eaten and no one got sick, you still need to throw the rest of it away or return it for a refund. And if you have stored a cereal that looks like Honey Smacks, but can't remember the brand -- throw that away too and thoroughly wash the container with warm, soapy water before using it again. Click here for Kellogg's consumer website, or call 1-800-962-1413.

Symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps, with most infections lasting four to seven days. Symptoms usually start 12 to 72 hours after being infected. Most people recover without treatment, but some must be hospitalized. Young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are at most risk of a serious or fatal infection.

The CDC says salmonella is responsible for about 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations and 450 deaths in the U.S. in an average year. Most of the infections come from food.

The FDA reports that 30 people have been hospitalized from the outbreak, and no deaths have been reported. The agency reports that it initiated an inspection at the third-party manufacturer that produces the cereal and that the samples taken at the site matched the outbreak strain, as had the ones taken by state officials. "As of June 12, 2018, the manufacturing facility is no longer producing product," says the FDA.

"The recall effort follows other prominent salmonella outbreaks, including one linked to pre-cut melon from a facility in Indianapolis that sickened 70 people and another connected to eggs from a single North Carolina producer where 45 people were made sick. Earlier this year, 210 people were infected by an E. coli outbreak that killed five people linked to romaine lettuce that had been grown in Arizona," Eli Rosenberg reports in The Washington Post.

At least 50 Kentuckians sick from salmonella, likely from cantaloupes; best to wash them with a diluted bleach solution

Photo by Richard North for Gristmill

Health officials have zeroed in on a farm in southwestern Indiana responsible for at least some of the cantaloupe that were contaminated with salmonella, an outbreak that has sickened at least 50 Kentuckians and 178 people nationwide. It has also been associated with the death of two Kentuckians.

There is disagreement between state and federal officials whether melons from the region are safe to eat, The Associated Press reports. The Food and Drug Administration says to discard any cantaloupes grown in the area that were bought on or after July 7. Amy Reel, Indiana Department of Health spokeswoman, says melons from other farms in the area are safe to eat.

The 100-acre Chamberlain Farms, 20 miles north of Evansville, seems to be at least one source of the outbreak. It stopped producing and distributing the melons Aug. 16. They sold cantaloupe to four grocery stores in Southwestern Indiana, as well as to wholesale purchasers in St. Louis; Owensboro, Ky.; Peru, Ill.; and Durant, Iowa. (Read more)

Salmonella is a bacterium that is found in the intestines of animals and is contracted from eating raw eggs or raw poultry or having those products touch other food. It can occasionally be found on produce, so the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services recommends washing all fruit and vegetables thoroughly and scrubbing the rinds of cantaloupes and other melons before cutting or slicing them. As Tim Wright, the acting health director in Anderson County, told The Anderson News,  "People use a clean knife and cut through the melon, and that can shove the salmonella right into its meat" if any remains on the rind. He recommends washing all melons in a solution of one cup of bleach to a gallon of water, because melon rinds get salmonella when rodents urinate on them.

Tainted salad mixture was sold in Kentucky, has been recalled

Kentucky is among the states affected by a recall of Dole and Kroger salad mixtures that may be tainted with the disease listeriosis.

More than 2,800 Dole Italian Blend and 440 cases of Kroger Fresh Selections Italian Style Blend have been recalled, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The salad mixtures have a use-by date of June 19, Darla Carter of The Courier-Journal reports.

Symptoms of listeriosis including fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. In serious cases, stiff neck and confusion can result. The illness mostly affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems.

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