The recent recall by Malt-O-Meal of unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat Cereals is being linked by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)to Salmonella poisoning. Around 21 people in 13 states have been diagnosed with salmonellosis that was caused by the same strain of Salmonella that was found in the recalled brands.
These were distributed nationally under the Malt-O-Meal brand name and under other private labels including Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw's, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality. The cereal packs have 'Best If Used By' dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as 'APR0808') through March 18, 2009 (coded as 'MAR1809').
Consumers have been advised to throw out the product, while grocery stores and retailers have been asked to remove the cereals from their shelves.
A note on Salmonella: It is a type of bacteria that can cause serious and at times fatal infections in young children, frail, elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Symptoms of Salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Salmonella can also invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections. Kindly contact your health care practitioner immediately and report the illness to their state or local health authorities, if you have experienced these symptoms after consuming this product.
At present, the FDA is working with Malt-O-Meal to determine the cause of the contamination and with the states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify and prevent additional illnesses.
A full list of recalled products can be found at Malt-O-Meal.
Picture Courtesy: Malt-O-Meal
No comments:
Post a Comment