FDA: 23 people in 14 states infected with salmonella in recalled cereals
MINNEAPOLIS -- Two Massachusetts residents and two New Hampshire residents are among the 23 reported sickened by the same strain of salmonella found in two breakfast cereals recalled by Malt-O-Meal.
The federal Food and Drug Administration said Saturday that 14 states reported cases linked to the cereals produced by the Minneapolis-based company.
Malt-O-Meal voluntarily recalled its unsweetened Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat cereals April 5 after finding salmonella contamination during routine testing.The packages of unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat were distributed nationally under the Malt-O-Meal brand and under some private label brands in New England including the Hannaford and Shaw's Supermarkets store labels.
Federal officials said three people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.
Symptoms of salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. It can be life-threatening for people with poor health or weakened immune systems, including young children and the elderly.
The FDA said the recalled products were distributed nationally under the Malt-O-Meal brand name, as well as private labels including Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw's, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality. The cereal bags have "best if used by" dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as APR0808), through March 18, 2009 (coded as MAR1809).
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