Popular Granola Bars and Cereals Recalled Over Potentially Deadly Bacteria

Signage is seen outside of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement said that the Quaker Oats Company is recalling granola bars and granola cereals over the possibility they are contaminated with the salmonella bacteria.

The products were sold across all 50 U.S. states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the territory of Saipan, according to the FDA announcement.

“Consumers should check their pantries for any of the products listed below and dispose of them,” the notice said. So far, no illnesses or hospitalizations have been reported in connection with the recalled products.

The list includes varieties of Quaker Puffed Granola Cereal of several flavors, boxes of Quaker Chewy bars, Quaker Chewy Bars of various flavors, Quaker Simply Granola Cereal of various flavors, and others. Consumers can see the full list of recalled products on the FDA’s website and Quaker’s website.

The company said in the recall announcement that no other products were affected.

The company said consumers should discard the affected products and should call Quaker Oats customer relations at 1-800-492-9322 or visit the recall website to obtain a refund.

Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause vomiting, nausea, fever, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Most people recover from an infection without any treatment within a week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But an infection can become more severe in infants and young children, individuals aged 65 and older, those with weakened immune systems, and people taking certain medications, including those that reduce stomach acidity.

According to the CDC, in rare cases, salmonella can infect the blood, joints, nervous system, the brain or spinal fluid, and the urinary tract. Such complications can lead to death or hospitalization.

“Some people with salmonella infection develop pain in their joints, called reactive arthritis, after the infection has ended. Reactive arthritis can last for months or years and can be difficult to treat. Some people with reactive arthritis develop irritation of the eyes and pain when urinating,” the agency also says.

Other Recalls

Several weeks ago, the FDA and CDC issued alerts about certain cantaloupe products due to potential salmonella contamination. In all, at least 302 people in the United States and 153 in Canada were sickened in the bacterial outbreak, leading to 129 hospitalizations and four deaths in the United States as well as six deaths in Canada, according to reports.

Last week, the Mexican government said that it temporarily closed a cantaloupe processing plant while it investigates the source of the salmonella contamination. Health authorities in both the United States and Mexico have implicated Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes as the outbreak sources and issued recalls.

Earlier this week, Mexico warned that some peaches, plums, and nectarines from HMC Farms brand imported from the United States were possibly contaminated with Listeria. U.S. health officials had notified its trading partner of the risk, Mexico said.

Days before that, in a separate instance, the FDA announced that Apple cinnamon squeeze pouches were being pulled from shelves due to elevated levels of lead, a heavy metal that can be toxic. That includes WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, Schnucks-brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches, and Weis-brand cinnamon applesauce pouches.

The FDA said its “leading hypothesis is that cinnamon used in these recalled pouches is the likely source of contamination for these products; however, the FDA has not yet been able to collect and test samples of the cinnamon used in the recalled products,” according to the announcement.

“The FDA is continuing to work with Ecuadorian authorities to investigate the source of the cinnamon. At this time, FDA has no indication that this issue extends beyond these recalled products, but to further protect public health, FDA is screening incoming shipments of cinnamon from multiple countries for lead contamination,” it said.

Reuters contributed to this report.