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DHSS Press Release

Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Secretary
Jill Fredel, Director of Communications
302-255-9047, Pager 302-357-7498
Email: jill.fredel@delaware.gov

Date: July 13, 2018
DHSS-07-2018

CDC EXPANDS WARNING REGARDING CONSUMPTION OF KELLOGG'S HONEY SMACKS CEREAL

DOVER (July 13, 2018) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on Thursday, expanded its recommendation that the public not eat Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal. The initial recommendation on June 14 was that the public not eat the cereal found in certain sized packages, with a specific "best-by" date. On July 12, the CDC expanded their recommendation, saying that the public should not eat, and retailers should not sell, any Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal. The CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have been investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka infections, linked to the cereal.

An additional 27 people have reported becoming ill after eating the cereal since the June 14 announcement. This brings the total number of ill persons to 100, including 30 who have been hospitalized. Thirty-three states have been identified as having ill persons; Delaware still has no identified illnesses from this outbreak. However, the Division of Public Health (DPH) is sharing this information as most of our surrounding states on the East Coast have been affected. No deaths have been reported at this time.

The CDC and DPH recommend the following actions for consumers who have purchased Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal:

Do not eat Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal.
Throw out the cereal or return it for a refund. You should do this even if someone in your household ate some and did not get sick.
If you store cereal in a container without the packaging and don't remember the brand or type, throw it away.
Thoroughly wash the container with warm, soapy water before using it again to remove harmful germs that could contaminate other food.

People get sick from salmonella from 12 to 72 hours after swallowing the germ and experience diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover within a week, but some illnesses can last longer and be more severe.

This investigation is ongoing and CDC will provide more information as it becomes available. To report foodborne illness in Delaware, call (302) 744-4990 or 1-888-295-5156.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person's spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

CDC EXPANDS WARNING REGARDING CONSUMPTION OF KELLOGG'S HONEY SMACKS CEREAL

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