Granola lovers probably didn’t know cereal could cause salmonella.But whole grain giant Quaker Oats has come out with its third recall in less than eight weeks over the potentially fatal disease in North America and Europe.Now it’s been expanded to include Chewy Dipps Llama Rama bars which are marketed, obviously, to children. The US Food and Drug Administration this week urged consumers to throw away any of the products with a best before date of February 10 or 11. It was originally discontinued from store shelves in September of 2023.It’s the third recall since December 15, and brings the total of potentially contaminated products to more than 100 — although it affects multiple variations of the same product line of snack mixes and popular breakfast cereals such as Harvest Crunch and Cap’n Crunch.Health Canada followed suit with its own warnings on January 11 but extends the best before dates to July 9 2024.The only products that don’t seem to be affected are traditional products containing oats — instant oats, grits, oat flour and rice snacks aren’t impacted.It wasn’t immediately clear how salmonella gets into these products, but it can be deadly in younger people and those with reduced immunity. The bacteria is typically transmitted through contaminated water. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.According to the US Centre for Disease Control, around 450 people die from it a year.According to the Health Canada website consumers can return the products from point of purchase for a full refund.
