http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/17583469.html
MINNEAPOLIS — At least 23 people in 14 states have been 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.
Officials in Minnesota are investigating whether a case in that state
might be linked to the cereals produced by the Minneapolis-based
company, the state health department said.
Malt-O-Meal voluntarily recalled its unsweetened Puffed Rice and
Puffed Wheat cereals April 5 after finding salmonella contamination
during routine testing. The affected bags were produced in the past 12
months in Northfield.
"The Malt-O-Meal company has been extremely cooperative in this
investigation and has done the right thing to protect the public's
health," Heidi Kassenborg, director of the dairy and food inspection
division at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, said in a
statement.
Three people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been re****ted,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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 people who experience such symptoms after eating a puffed
wheat or puffed rice cereal made by Malt-O-Meal should contact their
doctors and re****t the illness to state or local health authorities.
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).
Consumers with products from the recalled lots are advised to throw
them out, and retailers have been told to remove the cereals from
their shelves.
The CDC said that as of Friday it had received re****ts of 21 people
ill with the same salmonella strain in 13 states. California re****ted
1; Colorado, 1; Delaware, 1; Maine, 3; Massachusetts, 2; Minnesota, 1;
North Dakota, 1; New Hamp****re, 2; New Jersey, 3; New York, 3;
Pennsylvania, 1; Rhode Island, 1; and Vermont, 1.
It wasn't clear Saturday what the 14th state was or whether the two
additional cases were from there.
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