Malt-O-Meal Salmonella Outbreak, 2008 - Maine, Minnesota
On April 5, 2008 the Malt-O-Meal Company of Minnesota recalled unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat Cereals produced with “Best If Used By” codes between April 8, 2008 (coded as “APR0808”) and March 18, 2009 (coded as “MAR1809”). The recalled product was distributed nationally, marketed under the Malt-O-Meal brand and as some private label brands including Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw’s, ShopRite, Tops, Acme, America’s Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, and Weis Quality. A comprehensive listing of impacted products can be found at http://www.malt-o-meal.com/recallinfo.
As of April 11th, residents of both Maine and Minnesota are confirmed infected with Salmonella Agona, the strain of Salmonella identified in the Malt-O-Meal recall. Two victims have been hospitalized in Maine, and the FDA reports that at least 23 people in 14 other states have been diagnosed with salmonellosis caused by the same Salmonella strain.