Quaker Oats recalling granola bars, cereals for salmonella risk

Lois M. Collins
·2 min read
The Quaker Oats sign is seen in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 2021. Quaker Oats on Dec. 15, 2023, recalled several of its granola products, including granola bars and cereals, saying the foods could be contaminated with salmonella.
The Quaker Oats sign is seen in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 2021. Quaker Oats on Dec. 15, 2023, recalled several of its granola products, including granola bars and cereals, saying the foods could be contaminated with salmonella. | Rebecca F. Miller, The Gazette via Associated Press

Quaker Oats is recalling specific lots of more than 40 of its granola bar and granola cereal products over potential risk of contamination with salmonella, which can cause very serious, even lethal, illness in those who are young, frail, elderly or who have a compromised immune system.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said illness from salmonella bacteria is marked by diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever and stomach cramps. Some also experience nausea, vomiting or headache. Symptoms can appear from six hours to six days after exposure and may last up to a week. Occasionally, the infection can spread to urine, blood, bones, joints, or the spinal fluid and brain.

The CDC estimates that salmonella causes about 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the U.S. annually.

The company said it has received no reports of illness related to its products and emphasized that only specific lots of the products that are on the list are being recalled.

They include Quaker Chew Bars in different flavors, Quaker Puffed Granola Apple Cinnamon Cereal and varieties of Quaker Simply Granola Oats. It also includes certain products found in Frito-Lay variety packs and Lunch Box Mix packs, among others. The complete list — and lot numbers — is on the FDA website.

In a company announcement posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Quaker Oats said the products in question were sold in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and Saipan.

The announcement said that people should toss any of the products on the list and contact Quaker Consumer Relations (9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. CST, Monday-Friday) at 1-800-492-9322 or visit www.quakergranolarecall.com for more information or reimbursement.