A national food safety law firm has filed a lawsuit against Kellogg Co., alleging a woman contracted salmonella from Honey Smacks cereal.
Ron Simon & Associates filed the lawsuit on Friday in Oklahoma County on behalf of an Oklahoma City mother who spent three days in a hospital after eating Honey Smacks for breakfast.
Kellogg announced a recall of Honey Smacks packages for potential salmonella concerns on June 14. No other Kellogg products are impacted by the recall.
“While we don’t comment on litigation, we take our commitment to quality and food safety very seriously," a Kellogg spokesperson said Friday via email. "We are saddened to learn about any illness that may result from our Honey Smacks cereal and will ensure this situation is handled in a responsible and sensitive manner.”
At least 73 people across 31 states have been affected by a salmonella outbreak linked to the cereal, according to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention. No deaths have been reported, though 24 people have been hospitalized.
According to Simon & Associates, Audrea Johnson, a single mother, ate Honey Smacks for breakfast on June 16. Within 24 hours, she had become severely ill.
Johnson went to St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City for treatment where she was admitted and hospitalized for three days. She tested positive for salmonella poisoning, according to the law firm.
Johnson continues to undergo medical treatment and is still recovering from her salmonella illness.
"At this time it's too early to determine what went wrong, whether Kellogg simply incorporated a product form another vendor that was contaminated with salmonella or if this was a breakdown in good manufacturing practices at Kellogg," Anthony Coveny, a food poisoning lawyer for Houston-based Ron Simon & Associates, said on Friday.
"It's premature to determine what the long-term effect of her salmonella illness will be," he added. "There may be none, there may be significant."
The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention has recommended discarding and not eating Honey Smacks cereal of any size package or with any best-if-used-by date.
The Honey Smacks in question were distributed across the United States with limited distribution in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, the Caribbean, Guam, Tahiti and Saipan.
Use or consumption of products contaminated with salmonella can result in serious illness, including fatal infections, fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, especially for young, frail or elderly people, according to the CDC.
Healthy individuals typically recover in four to seven days with treatment.
Contact Battle Creek Enquirer reporter Noe Hernandez at 269-966-0684 or nhernandez@battlecreekenquirer.com.