Latest news with #Kelloggs
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
I cleared the shelves of 35p cereal with little-known hack – trolls call me greedy but I filled my car for just £2.10
A BARGAIN hunter has come under fire after proudly showing off his mega haul of 35p Kellogg's cereal. Sainsbury's customer, Phil Bradshaw, was slammed after he cleared the shelves and filled the boot to the brim with cut-price cereal. 2 2 According to the thrifty shopper, the popular supermarket was running a deal which meant he only paid a mere 35p for the branded breakfast favourite. The popular brand usually goes for around £3.50 at most retailers, so Phil managed to save a whopping 10x the original price. In his post, Phil explained that Sainsbury's was selling bowls for £5 and cereal for £3.50- however, if you buy the set, you get the bowl totally for free, saving yourself a fiver. He went on: ''But they had reduced the bowls to £2.50 and cereal to £2.85 but till was still taking off £5 for the bowl. ''So a bowl and a box of cereal (only four types in the offer) for 35p.'' The bargain-mad shopper also revealed that he was keen to get even more of the cut-price offer - but with no luck. ''I ran out of stores with bowls or believe me that pic would have looked rather different!'' he chuckled. The Sainsbury's customer isn't the only one who purchased a pile of the wallet-friendly cereal. Another bargain hunter, Mandy Crawford, uploaded a snap of her mega haul with over a dozen of the branded cereal. Unfortunately for Phil - who snapped up dozens of boxes - as well as all the other shoppers, the offer now seems to be ended. ''I went to buy some this morning and till said no,'' he said in the comments. 'You had to grab them all so nobody else will' But while Phil may have been all chuffed with the monster haul, the reaction on the Yellow sticker shopping tips, tricks and hauls was mixed. Since being shared online, the post has racked up more than 130 likes - and a range of comments, including criticism. How to cut the cost of your grocery shop SAVING on your shop can make a big difference to your wallet. Here are some tips from comparison site about how you can cut the cost of your shopping bills: Write yourself a list – Only buy items that you need. If it isn't on your list, don't put it in the trolley Create a budget – Work out a weekly budget for your food shopping Never shop hungry – you are far more likely to buy more food if your tummy is rumbling Don't buy pre-chopped veggies or fruit – The extra they'll charge for chopping can be eye watering Use social media – follow your favourite retailers to find out about the latest deals Be disloyal – You may want to go to different stores to find the best bargains Check the small print – It's always worth checking the price per kg/lb/litre when comparing offers so you're making a like for like decision as a bigger box won't necessarily mean you get more Use your loyalty cards – Don't be afraid to sign up to them all. They all work slightly differently – work out what bonus suits you better and remember to trade in your points for additional rewards One furious person said: ''And you had to grab them all so nobody else will.'' ''Lost me,'' another chimed in. A supportive Facebook user wrote: ''People are far too quick to judge other not keep their tactless comments to don't know what this person was gonna do with it.'' Someone else added: ''Well done. Ignore all the bitter folk who are jealous. Buy what you can afford and do as you see fit with it.'' Hitting back at the trolls, Phil said: ''I fully expected some of the comments. ''The really funny thing is they think I'm bothered. ''I had great fun getting them all and lots of people will be eating cheap cereal for a while and all thanks to the 'generosity' of one of our faithful supermarket chains who struggle to make a profit.''
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Kellogg's issues update about popular breakfast cereal one year after it was recalled over choking risk
Kellogg's has issued an update about one of its most popular breakfast offerings - one year after the chocolate cereal was recalled over safety concerns. The breakfast giant confirmed there are 'no current plans' to bring back its chocolate-covered corn flakes following the mass recall from UK supermarkets last May in a statement to The Sun on Wednesday. The £2.75 boxes of Kellogg's Corn Flakes Chocolate Flavour were pulled from supermarket shelves after they were feared to contain 'hard lumps' that could cause choking or dental damage. However, the product has remained noticeably absent from grocery stores since then as fans asked Kellogg's whether it would be bringing back the childhood favourite cereal. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, one person asked: 'Did @KelloggsUKI discontinue chocolate cornflakes again?' Another said: 'I know you recalled chocolate cornflakes, but are they ever going to be back again, they were only brought back for a few weeks then re called.' Meanwhile, a third customer tweet read: 'Any idea when your chocolate cornflakes are coming back in store?' Shoppers also took to the social media platform to express their excitement amid rumours Kellogg's was bringing its chocolate corn flakes back, with one person reportedly praising them as '10/10'. However, a spokesperson for the FMCG giant later said: 'We love that Kellogg's fans are so passionate about their favourite cereals and we're proud to be a part of millions of people's breakfasts each morning in the UK. 'We can never say never, but while there are no current plans to bring back Chocolate Corn Flakes, we do have lots of other exciting new products out now, like Kellogg's Oaties and Bluey Multigrain cereal, with more coming next year for cereal lovers to try.' Kellogg's reintroduced the cereal - branded the 'best Corn Flakes ever - last January after pressing pause on the product more than ten years ago. The sweet breakfast cereal first hit supermarket shelves back in 2013, receiving rave reviews from customers. Even though it was wildly popular with shoppers, the cereal was discontinued the same year - with Kellogg's opting to bring it back with a slight twist last winter. Unlike the original version of the chocolate flavoured cornflakes, they were coated in cocoa instead of chocolate in their most recent iteration. The twist meant that the cereal retained its chocolatey taste while being high in vitamin D and fibre. Emily Dutton, activation manager at Kellogg's told The Sun at the time: 'It's great to be bringing chocolate flavour Corn Flakes to breakfast tables. Fans of the cereal have been wondering whether Kellogg's would be bringing back its chocolate flavoured corn flakes since the recall 'They can be eaten alone for an extra crunch or with milk, where the coating washes off to make the milk delectably chocolatey, whilst the Corn Flakes stay crispy.' By May, however, the product had been recalled as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) advised shoppers to dispose of the 450g packs and ask for a full refund. Chicago-based Kellanova, formerly Kellogg Company and the maker of Kellogg's cereals in Europe, said it is 'voluntarily recalling Kellogg's Corn Flakes Chocolate Flavour cereal due to a quality defect' at the time. The company said: 'This voluntary consumer recall relates to Kellogg's Corn Flakes Chocolate Flavour cereal which is a new product on sale since January 2024 and available in Tesco, One Stop, Londis, Budgens, Booker Premier stores and Booker Cash & Carry outlets.' Shortly after the recall, Kellogg's discontinued another one of its popular offerings as the company apologised to customers for shelving Crunchy Nut and Caramel Bites. Kellogg's Crunchy Nut and Caramel Bites was first introduced in 2008, and contained clusters of baked mixed cereal with peanut and caramel. According to Talking Retail, the unique shape and size of Crunchy Nut Bites when it first launched meant Kellogg's had to invest in introducing new technology and food manufacturing equipment in order to produce the cereal. Last September, a spokesperson for the company said the product had been discontinued in response to fan comments on X. Thanking customers for sharing their photos and reviews of the product, the spokesperson added: 'We're sorry, but this product has been discontinued. Your feedback will be shared with the relevant team.'
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Kellogg's confirms childhood favourite cereal has been discontinued after mass recall
KELLOGG'S has confirmed a childhood favourite cereal has been discontinued after a mass recall. The breakfast giant has confirmed that chocolate flavoured Corn Flakes are no more. The beloved item was first introduced in 2013 and shoppers fell in love. Writing on Facebook, one social media user described them as the: "Best Corn Flakes ever!!" Another wrote: "Yay! Choco Corn Flakes! Two of my favourites in one!" However, despite its popularity, it was axed in the same year. At the start of 2024, the cereal made a surprise return, much to the delight of fans. The morning meal was rolled out across Tesco superstores and was sold for £3.29 for a 450g box. But in May of this year, Kellogg's issued a mass recall of the cereal following fears customers could choke on the food or damage their teeth. Following some consumer complaints, the company found that a small proportion of batches could contain "hard lumps" that do not break down when eaten with milk. This means there is a risk it could potentially cause dental damage or be a choking hazard. The warning applies to all 450g packs with date codes from December 6, 2024 to April 28, 2025. The cereal has not been spotted on shelves since, but rumours have been swirling online that it was due to make a return next week. Shoppers were really excited when they spotted the rumour, with one customer writing: "glad to hear it". But The Sun reached out to Kellogg's who confirmed that the cereal would not be returning to shelves any time soon. It will come as a blow to excited shoppers who said their "life was complete" the last time it made an appearance on supermarket shelves. And it's not the first time Kellogg's has waved goodbye to a beloved snack. Last summer the food giant axed All Bran Golden Crunch, in a blow to shoppers. OTHER AXED CEREAL And it's not only Kellogg's which has pulled the trigger on a number of popular morning foods. Weetabix confirmed earlier this month that Alpen cereal bars have now permanently disappeared from supermarket shelves. Tesco left shoppers heartbroken when it confirmed it was no longer making its own-brand apricot wheats. Nestle also said last summer it was no longer making Cheerios Vanilla O's, leading to heartbreak. The giant also delivered another blow to shoppers when it confirmed that Golden Grahams cereal was not making a comeback. Golden Grahams were popular in the 80s and 90s but were discontinued in 2021. Why are products axed or recipes changed? ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders. Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether. They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers. There are several reasons why this could be done. For example, government regulation, like the "sugar tax," forces firms to change their recipes. Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs. They may opt for a cheaper alternative, especially when costs are rising to keep prices stable. For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018. It has recently returned after six years away but as a sugar-free version. Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year. Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks. While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Rice Krispies Treats Are Good. This Version Is Transcendent.
Time creates familiarity, curbs the magic of a thing, minimizes how remarkable something was in the long ago. My children, for example, have never known a life without access to the moon, a before when scientists and beautiful weirdos would fixate on the firmament above, a celestial question without answer. But me, I was born just eight years after Neil Armstrong bounced his way onto that dusty orb, and the mystery of it all still lingered by the time I arrived on this planet. The manila folders I made for each astronaut was proof that, to my young mind, space was as exciting as rock 'n' roll and sliced bread — two things that once exhilarated and surprised us all. Recipe: Pistachio Halvah Rice Krispies Treats I get a bit obsessed with the beginnings of things, especially recipes or foods, ones that have lost the magic of their newness and are now met with bored familiarity. Finding origin stories is a thrill of studying the somewhat-brief history of American baking and, always, really, ends up telling a story of 'us.' The humble Rice Krispies treat is a perfect example of a once-delighting, now-overlooked classic. In 1932, Kellogg's employed Mildred Day, an Iowa State University home-economics graduate who is credited as the inventor of the Rice Krispies treat (though seemingly not by the Kellogg's corporation). Day, along with her co-worker Malitta Jensen, created the recipe for an event for the Campfire Girls, an organization not unlike the Girl Scouts, originally making them with molasses (intriguing to this baker). It took several years before the recipe was dialed in, and in 1939, Kellogg's published the version we now know and love on the Rice Krispies box, placing it in the annals of Very Important Americana — and in the palm of your Krispies treats were practically an elementary-school celebrity in the '80s, a star of every bake sale I can remember and an occasional late-night surprise from moms (like mine) who were just happy that their eccentric kid had friends. But the '90s left the Rice Krispies Treat cold and lonely. Mass-produced in its foil wrapping, its flirty youth and charisma long gone, it was relegated to little more than an easy lunchbox snack, not even made by a loving hand. By the time I was an adult, and working professionally as a baker, cereal desserts were making a civilized return in professional kitchens — so many of us latchkey Gen Xers who became cooks and pastry chefs couldn't help ourselves. Suddenly the general public was eating cereal ice creams, and chefs were bringing back 1984 in marshmallowy homage in our very own kitchens, this time with a little more: matcha and black sesame, vanilla-flecked bourbon and miso. Fast-forward a decade to Queens, when early in the pandemic, stuck at home and unemployed, my friends the pastry chefs Shilpa and Miro Uskokovic riffed on the recipe once more. From their kitchen, they added brown butter, pistachio and a sweetened condensed milk that Shilpa, a senior editor at Bon Appétit, said helped avoid the dreaded third-day dry-out. Eventually, the Uskokovics' efforts grew into a pop-up bakery, Extra Helpings, and when the world started back up, they opened Hani's Bakery + Cafe, a jewel box of a pastry shop in the East Village, named after Miro's nickname for his mother. They tweaked the recipe once more. A little halvah here, a little tahini there, and before I even made it to the bakery, I celebrated how they breathed new life into something one might feel compelled to call 'basic.' At Hani's, you can go to Serbia and South India, where Miro and Shilpa each emigrated from. You can taste their travels to Turkey in the tahini. But mostly, you can walk into their warm, welcoming bakery and order this Rice Krispies treat with its long history, and you're likely to feel attached to it in some way, a true classic, but one that tells a new version of the story, continuing the story of 'us.' And even if you can't make it to Hani's, you, too, hold the recipe in your hands.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Cereal Recalls That Impacted Breakfast Lovers
It's hard not to love cereal. Breakfast cereal's biggest brands, like Kellogg's and Quaker, have been part of countless morning routines since the turn of the 20th century. Many classic cereals are still top sellers today. Reputable as they are, many huge cereal companies have been subject to product recalls over the years. Recalls have impacted cereals from lesser-known brands, too. Some of these recalls have been pretty serious. The thing about product recalls is, they can happen to any company. No matter what scale a business operates on, if it sells misleading or contaminated goods to the public, a recall is necessary. The federal organizations that oversee food recalls are the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Like every other food you find at your local grocery store, breakfast cereal must meet federally-enforced regulations before entering the commercial market. Most cereal companies have every intention of playing by the government's food safety rules, but businesses don't always operate as smoothly as they should. In nearly every case, cereal recalls can be traced back to problems in the manufacturing process. If a misstep occurs within the farms where the grain is grown, the factories where the ingredients are processed or the distribution chain moving the goods from place to place, the product's quality becomes compromised, making it potentially unsafe to consume. Recalls are massively expensive for companies and worrisome to consumers. These are the recalls that shook up the cereal aisle. Read more: Grocery Store Apple Ciders, Ranked Worst To Best Quaker Oats, one of the oldest cereal brands in the game, showed its weak spots in late 2023, when a big, multi-product recall impacted stores nationwide. The ordeal gained public attention on December 15, 2023, when Quaker recalled over 40 grocery items, ranging from granola bars, snack boxes, and breakfast cereal. Quaker suspected these products, sold in various portion sizes and variety packs, were contaminated with salmonella bacteria. Two flavors of Quaker Puffed Granola Cereal and five flavors of Quaker Simply Granola Oats were named in the recall notice. On January 11, 2024, Quaker had more bad news. The recall was expanded to include more products. Two flavors of Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal and five varieties of Cap'n Crunch cereal including Oops All Berries and a pair of Cap'n Crunch Instant Oatmeals. The recall was expanded a second and final time on January 31, 2024, bringing the number of recalled items to over 60. It was one of the biggest recalls for PepsiCo, Quaker's parent company. All of the recalled products were processed in a PepsiCo plant in Danville, Illinois. During the recall period, the FDA inspected the Danville plant. Inspectors confirmed the presence of Salmonella Cubana in multiple areas of the facility including inside the Quaker granola. In June 2024, the FDA sent PepsiCo's C.E.O. a warning letter advising that the health code violations present at the Danville facility, which caused the contamination, needed amending. That same month, PepsiCo permanently shuttered the Danville plant. Honey Smacks history as a Kellogg's cereal goes back to the early 1950s. The sweetened, puffed wheat cereal was called Sugar Smacks back then and instead of a frog, the mascot was a middle-aged clown. Perhaps the darkest moment in Honey Smacks' timeline occurred in June 2018, when 1,145,030 cases of the cereal were recalled. Kellogg's entire Honey Smacks supply was connected to a major salmonella outbreak that sickened 135 people in 36 states. While investigating the outbreak, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted interviews with many of the people who had contracted salmonellosis. Of the 84 people interviewed, 63 reported eating Honey Smacks. Investigators tested an unopened box of Honey Smacks purchased from a store in California, as well as Honey Smacks taken from the homes of people who fell ill in Montana, New York, and Utah. All tested positive for salmonella. The Kellogg Company used third-party manufacturer Kerry Inc. to produce Honey Smacks at a plant in Gridley, Illinois. The FDA paid multiple visits to the plant in June 2018 and detected salmonella bacteria in three environmental samples taken from inside the facility. The investigation also revealed that Kerry had 81 positive salmonella environmental samples between September 2016 and May 2018, but failed to improve the unsanitary conditions of the plant. In December 2018, the Kerry plant abruptly closed. In February 2023, Kerry agreed to pay a $19.228 million fine for its role in the Honey Smacks salmonella outbreak. Since 1972, Cascadian Farms has built its brand on the principles of environmental sustainability and organic farming. As awareness around biodiversity in farming grew, Cascadian Farms' ethos was seen as an attractive prospect by General Mills, which purchased the company in 1999. The all-organic brand sells frozen fruits and veggies and numerous cold breakfast cereals, but is perhaps best known for its granola. In October 2017, a problem with Cascadian Farms Organic Cinnamon Raisin Granola sparked a huge product recall. The granola cereal was found to contain almonds that were not listed as an ingredient on the product's packaging. The undeclared almonds made Cascadian Farms Organic Cinnamon Raisin Granola extremely dangerous to consumers with nut allergies, prompting the FDA to set the recall as Class I — the most serious recall classification. Fortunately, no allergic reactions were reported in connection to the recalled granola. Two production days-worth of granola were implicated in the Cascadian Farms recall, which totaled 40,663 pounds. The recalled boxes were processed on July 15 and July 16, 2017 and were already on store shelves and in distribution warehouses throughout the U.S. Shoppers who had purchased the mislabeled granola were instructed to contact General Mills to receive a full refund. In a sea of classic cereals, Cheerios stands out as one of the greats. Yet in October 2015, Cheerios proved that even top dogs fall down sometimes, when an operational oversight launched the General Mills cereal into a full-scale recall. The mess-up involved certain boxes of plain Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios being made with wheat flour instead of oat flour. Wheat flour is not listed as an ingredient on the boxes, which meant that both cereals contained an undeclared allergen. It also made the "gluten-free" labeling on the front of the boxes inaccurate. The flour mix-up occurred over several days at a General Mills processing plant in Lodi, California. General Mills learned of the mishap in the worst way: consumers with gluten allergies or intolerance reported adverse reactions after eating the mislabeled cereal. The FDA tested three dozen Cheerios samples for gluten. Most of the samples had less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten, making them permissible as gluten-free by FDA standards, but one Honey Nut Cheerios sample contained 43 ppm of gluten. General Mills recalled approximately 1.8 million Cheerios boxes nationwide. The Cheerios ordeal was one of the biggest General Mills recalls ever. Jim Murphy, General Mills' senior vice president of the cereal division, expressed much regret over the situation. In a public apology Murphy said, "Please know we'll be working even harder to earn back your trust ... We sincerely apologize to the gluten-free community and to anyone who may have been impacted." (per CBS). Earth-friendly granola that's good for you? What could possibly go wrong? Well, as Blue Planet Foods Inc. demonstrated in February 2013, quite a lot. Commercial food processing is often a collective effort that requires brands to rely on other companies to supply ingredients or manufacturer specific products. Blue Planet sourced grain blends and flour from a wholesaler called Dakota Specialty Milling. When Dakota Specialty Milling's product arrived full of pieces of metal mesh, Blue Planet didn't seem to notice and made granola with it anyway. The mistake resulted in a massive Blue Planet recall. Multiple types of granola and a pre-baked crisp topping containing the contaminated grains were affected. These goods were sold under the Blue Planet, Hannaford, and Heartland brand labels. The recall implicated 5,425 cases of Blue Planet-made granola, amounting to 2,573,605 pounds. The recalled items were shipped throughout the U.S., Bermuda, Costa Rica, and Trinidad. After Blue Planet initiated its recall, Heartland issued a separate recall for two types of granola cereal. Less than a week before Blue Planet's recall, Dakota Specialty Milling announced a major recall of its own due to the metal mesh in its grain blends and flour. The company stated that a defective flour sifter on the production line was responsible for the contamination. In addition to the Blue Planet and Heartland granola recalls, seven other companies issued secondary recalls due to Dakota Specialty Milling's tainted products. The Kellogg Company is used to pulling in big numbers in cereal box sales, but in June 2010, the American heritage brand had no choice but to acknowledge that something was seriously off with scents in lots of its Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops, and Honey Smacks. They smelled bad and tasted weird. In fact, some consumers reported opening boxes of these Kellogg's cereals and the smell inside was so pungent it made them nauseous to the point of vomiting. Others said that after eating the cereals (which tasted a little off), they had diarrhea. In response, Kellogg recalled 28 million boxes of cereal, citing a quality control issue. The company tasked its chemists to determine what was responsible for the cereals' degraded condition. The cause was the plastic liner bags inside the boxes. A chemical called methylnaphthalene that was used to make the bags had leached from the plastic, and tainted the cereals inside. Methylnaphthalene is a chemical compound derived from the chemical naphthalene. These chemicals are naturally produced by fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum. They are also naturally produced by burning wood or tobacco. Methylnaphthalene is a common component in creating dyes and resins and is not intended for consumption. Kellogg determined that elevated levels of methylnaphthalene were present in the recalled cereals, but that no FDA-banned substances were present. Cereals like puffed rice and puffed wheat aren't very exciting, but they're still sold in most grocery stores. For habitual consumers of these old-fashioned cereals (babies and the elderly are known fans), 2008 wasn't a good time to show them some love. In April of that year, a dozen brands, many of which were well-known store brands, pulled their unsweetened puffed rice and unsweetened puffed wheat cereal from distribution due to potential salmonella contamination. Both cereals, sold by eponymous brands from ShopRite, Shaw's, Hannaford, and Acme, were made by the Malt-O-Meal Company. For Malt-O-Meal, the 2008 recall was astoundingly familiar. Ten years earlier, the Minnesota-based company recalled mass amounts of plain toasted oat cereal sold under the Malt-O-Meal brand and 38 private label brands over salmonella fears. In both recalls, an uncommon serotype called Salmonella Agona was detected in samples of the cereal. Something else unfortunately repetitive: the salmonella-tainted cereal was causing a multistate outbreak of foodborne illness. In the weeks following the April 5, 2008 recall, 23 reported illnesses in 14 states were attributed to Salmonella Agona. The puffed rice and puffed wheat cereals were produced in Malt-O-Meal's plant in Northfield, Minnesota — the same plant that manufactured the contaminated toasted oat cereal a decade before. Public health officials agreed that the Salmonella Agona's origins were likely within the plant's environment. Sources such as contaminated water mixed with concrete to broken-down machinery have been implicated, but a definitive source was never publicly named. February 2003 wasn't a high point for Quaker Oats. The company had to reckon with a major recall for one of its cold cereals called Brown Sugar Bliss because select lots of products were thought to contain almonds — an ingredient that wasn't part of the usual recipe. For many consumers, finding some unexpected almonds in your Brown Sugar Bliss cereal might be a happy accident, yet for those who have tree nut allergies, the presence of almonds in the cereal could be life-threatening. In order for commercially sold food to be FDA compliant, the ingredients listed on the packaging must be consistent with the product inside. Undeclared additions like almonds present a serious issue due to the fact that consumers with nut allergies could buy the product after reading its labels and unknowingly consume tree nuts anyway. People with severe nut allergies are at risk for going into anaphylactic shock, a bodily reaction that closes the air passageways and could result in death. The FDA nor Quaker was willing to take that risk once it became clear that boxes of Brown Sugar Bliss had been mis-marked. Quaker recalled around 23,000 cases of Brown Sugar Bliss due to the undeclared allergen. Consumers were urged to throw out the 16-ounce boxes of inaccurately labeled cold cereal and send the box top to Quaker for a full refund. The cereal was discontinued sometime after the recall and its existence has practically been scrubbed from Quaker's timeline. Many lower-priced store brand cereals shoppers have come to depend on are made by Malt-O-Meal. In June 1998, Aldi shoppers hoping to grab some Millville Toasted Oats (Aldi's store brand cereal, now sold as Crispy Oats), were met with disappointment. The chain recalled all boxes on June 1st after learning that the CDC had connected the cereal with an ongoing salmonella outbreak and an investigation of Malt-O-Meal's Northfield, Minnesota plant was underway. This wasn't one of Aldi's biggest recalls, but Malt-O-Meal's inventory took a gigantic hit. In addition to Malt-O-Meal recalling Toasted Oats under its own brand and the Millville label, the company recalled toasted oat cereal sold in 38 other supermarket chains. By June 8, 1998, at least 209 people in 11 states were sickened by Salmonella Agona. An open box of Millville Toasted Oats taken from the home of one of the ill persons tested positive for Salmonella Agona. The FDA found Salmonella Agona in two boxes of unopened Millville Toasted Oats as well. Malt-O-Meal's 1998 recall pulled an estimated 300 million boxes of plain toasted oat cereal off of store shelves. It was the first time a salmonella outbreak in the U.S. was linked to breakfast cereal, but it wouldn't be the last — even for Malt-O-Meal. In April 2008, Malt-O-Meal was behind another huge recall for puffed rice and puffed wheat and another Salmonella Agona outbreak, bolstering public health experts' long-held opinions that the bacteria had permeated the environment of the Malt-O-Meal plant. As children of decades past know, Cap'n Crunch was all about slipping toys inside its cereal. The featured toy was advertised on the front of the box so kids could catch a glimpse while perusing the cereal aisle. Quaker had been using this tactic since at least the 1960s, but when the brand included a toy known as the Popper in 1993, it caused a catastrophe which in turn, caused a recall. The Popper's truest crime might have been that it was too simple. The toy was nothing more than a small, soft plastic half-sphere that used suction to attach to another object (like a book) which it could then be launched off of. Although the back of the Cap'n Crunch boxes housing the Popper provided examples of how to safely play with the toy, more than a few kids decided it would be more interesting to stick the Popper to their eyeballs and face instead of an inanimate object. Quaker received 36 injury reports related to the Popper. Bruised or bloodshot eyes and other facial injuries gave Quaker cause to recall approximately 8.3 million cereal boxes containing the mischief-making toy. This wasn't the first time Quaker made a Cap'n Crunch toy that was used for unintended purposes. Around 1964, Cap'n Crunch introduced the Bo'Sun whistle. The whistle emitted a 2600 hertz tone — the exact frequency AT&T Long Lines used to indicate a new call route, helping feisty consumers score long distance phone calls for free. The Kellogg Company's remedy for people who found General Mills' Total cereal totally boring was Just Right, a multi-grain cereal packed with slivered almonds, raisins, and dates. In the spring of 1986, an extra ingredient crept into a bunch of Just Right boxes and it was neither tasty nor interesting. The unwanted addition was metal shavings. Kellogg announced a Just Right recall for foreign material. Kellogg didn't catch the manufacturing error — customers did. Three reports of metal inside the cereal came out of Nashville, Tennessee, prompting Kellogg to pull over 43,800 boxes in 16 states. Kellogg's spokesman Joe Stewart assured that the recall was a precautionary measure and pointed to drilling near the packaging machinery as the source of contamination. When the Just Right recall went down, Kellogg wasn't as well-versed in recall etiquette as it is today. Rather than fire-off a public apology or issue a statement about consumers' safety being the company's top priority, Stewart acted like a few errant metal shavings in your breakfast were no big deal. Days after the recall, the New York Times reported that Stewart had said that, "Physicians had advised the company that the metal was 'very unlikely to cause any adverse health consequences' because they were very tiny and could be digested". Whatever you say, Mr. Stewart. Just Right cereal was later discontinued in the U.S., but Kellogg still sells it in other countries, like Australia and New Zealand. It was phased out of Canada in 2021. Read the original article on Mashed.
