Lucky Charms, one of the US’s most popular cereals, is being investigated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The agency announced on Monday, 18 April, that an enquiry was underway after 3,000 people across the country had reported falling ill after eating the cereal.
Consumers flocked to the aptly-named iwaspoisoned.com website to complain of gastrointestinal issues after eating Lucky Charms, with symptoms including vomiting, nausea and stomach pain.
On Friday, 15 April, a tweet shared from I Was Poisoned’s Twitter confirmed the web service – which tracks food poisoning incidents in the country – had received thousands of complaints spanning all states.
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On Monday, Lucky Charms replied to one consumer complaining of ‘negative symptoms’ on Twitter, claiming ‘food safety is our top priority’.
The brand’s full tweet read: “Food safety is our top priority. We take your concerns very seriously. Through our continuing internal investigations, we have not found any evidence of consumer illness linked to the consumption of Lucky Charms.
“Please send us a DM so that we can gather additional details.”
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Neither the FDA nor General Mills – manufacturer of Lucky Charms – has issued a recall for the cereal as of Monday, as per People magazine.
UNILAD has approached General Mills for comment.
Earlier this month, chocolate-maker Ferrero was forced to recall batches of Kinder Surprise eggs in the UK due to a ‘potential’ salmonella outbreak.
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In a statement, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said at the time: “This is in connection with a potential link to a salmonella outbreak. A number of these cases have been young children.”
Tina Potter, head of incidents at the FSA, added: “We welcome the precautionary approach being taken by Ferrero and are advising consumers not to eat any of the products listed in the FSA alert. It is really important that consumers follow this advice to avoid the risk of becoming ill with salmonella poisoning.
“We know that these particular products are popular with young children, especially as Easter approaches, so we would urge parents and guardians of children to check if any products already in their home are affected by this recall.
“The food business involved has voluntarily carried out this product withdrawal and recall and we are working closely with them and their competent authorities to identify the precise cause of this outbreak.”
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Salmonella symptoms include diarrhoea, stomach pain, fever and vomiting. In most cases, the infection clears up after a few days, however symptoms among children can be particularly severe and may require hospitalisation.
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Topics: Food and Drink
