Kellogg cereal sits on display in a supermarket in Princeton, Illinois.
Kellogg’s Mini-Wheats eaters, be warned: If you notice an out-of-the-ordinary snap, crackle or pop when consuming your breakfast, it’s not that your bite-sized bundles of whole grain are experiencing a Rice Krispies identity crisis — there’s a chance your box of cereal contains fragments of metal.
Kellogg Company released a statement on Oct. 10 voluntarily recalling 2.8 million boxes of the cereal “due to the possible presence of fragments of flexible metal mesh from a faulty manufacturing part.” The recall includes only the Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite Size (Original) and Mini-Wheats Unfrosted Bite Size varieties in sizes that range from single-serve bowls to 70-ounce cartons. Affected packages display the letters FK, KB or AP before or after the Best if Used Before dates, which span between April 1, 2013 and Sept. 21, 2013.
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Kellogg spokesperson Kris Charles wrote in an email to The Christian Science Monitor that the tainted cereal was distributed throughout the United States, and that no injuries have yet been reported. The company remains confident that consumer harm will be limited, according to ABC News.
“We are reassured that our increased supply chain investments helped us to quickly identify the root cause and our preventative maintenance program helped us mitigate the impact,” the company told ABC.
Individuals who desire a replacement for their Mini-Wheats should contact Kellogg’s consumer hotline at 800-962-1413, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST, CSM reported.
This recall is the second in just over two years for Kellogg. In June 2010, the company recalled boxes of Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Honey Smacks and Fruit Loops after consumers reported the cereals smelled and tasted unpleasant. Although several customers experienced nausea, vomiting and mouth numbness, no serious injuries were reported, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
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