At least 21 people in 13 states have been infected with the latest outbreak of Salmonella poisoning, possibly from a number of processed cereal products that were recalled by the manufacturer April 5.
In issuing a consumer warning, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the strain of salmonellosis in the victims was the same found in the recalled containers of unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat cereals produced by Malt-O-Meal, of Minneapolis, Minn.
According to the FDA, the recalled products were also distributed nationally under private label brands including Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw's, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality. The cereals have Best If Used By dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as "APR0808") through March 18, 2009 (coded as "MAR1809"), the FDA says.
Consumers are warned to throw out any of the cereal that is part of the recalled lots. You can get a complete list of the recalled products at this Malt-O-Meal site.
While there have been no reports of deaths in these latest cases, the Salmonella bacterium causes nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the following states and number of reported cases: California reported 1; Colorado, 1; Delaware, 1; Maine, 3; Massachusetts, 2; Minnesota, 1; North Dakota, 1; New Hampshire, 2; New Jersey, 3; New York, 3; Pennsylvania, 1; Rhode Island, 1; and Vermont, 1.