CDC Issues Warning About Kellogg’s Honey Smacks: ‘Do Not Eat This Cereal’

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning about Honey Smacks, a brand of Kellogg’s cereal, saying it has been linked to an outbreak of salmonella that has already infected up to 100 people across 33 states.

The health agency’s warning said, “Do not eat this cereal,” the Associated Press reported:

OUTBREAK Update: 100 Salmonella infections in 33 states linked to Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal. Do not eat this cereal. https://t.co/G5WyEiWp5A pic.twitter.com/Fa8EF3izUu

— CDC (@CDCgov) July 12, 2018

The warning is a blanket statement, one not based on any particular product expiration date. Customers should either throw away the product or may return their box of cereal to a store for a full refund.

The CDC reported that 24 of the people affected have been hospitalized after becoming infected with bacteria. Symptoms develop between 12 and 72 hours after infection and feature a fever, cramps, or diarrhea.

“There have been 73 ill people reported from 31 states, including 24 people who have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported,” the agency reported on its website.

The illnesses began in the first week of June. By June 14, Kellogg’s issued a recall order on the product.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.