Salmonella Risk Spurs Cereal Recall

April 8, 2008 -- Because of salmonella risk, Malt-O-Meal is recalling its unsweetened puffed rice and puffed wheat cereals with "Best If Used By" dates ranging from April 8, 2008 (coded as "APR0808")  to March 18, 2009 (coded as "MAR1809").

Salmonella bacteria can cause symptoms including diarrhea, fever, nausea, and abdominal pain. Severe cases of salmonella infection can be life-threatening.

No illnesses linked to the recalled cereals have been reported.

The recalled cereals were distributed nationwide, marketed under the Malt-O-Meal brand and as some private label brands including Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw's ShopRite, Tops, and Weis Quality.

In a news release, Malt-O-Meal states that it issued the voluntary recall "out of an abundance of caution" after its routine safety testing detected salmonella in a product made on March 24, 2008. The company says it has fixed the problem and that the recalled cereals account for less than half of one percent of the company's yearly production of ready-to-eat cereal.

Malt-O-Meal advises consumers to return the recalled cereals to the store where they were purchased for a full refund. For more information, call Malt-O-Meal at 877-665-9331 or visit the company's recall web site for a full list of recalled products.