Salmonella Fears Spark Recall of Quaker Oats Granola Bars, Cereals

The Quaker Oats Company is recalling granola bars and granola cereals sold across the United States due to potential salmonella contamination, a potentially lethal bacterium, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday.

The recalled products were sold in all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Guam and Saipan, according to the company. The recall included many of Quaker Oats' popular "Chewy Bars" and "Dipps," along with a number of its puffed granola cereals, simply granola, protein granola and granola bars. Some of the recalled products can also be found in Frito-Lay variety packs and Lunch Box Mix packs.

The Quaker Oats Company, an American company that can trace its roots back to the late 1800s, said consumers should dispose of the products. The FDA said in its announcement that the recall is exclusive to the specific products outlined in the released information.

Grocery stores, including Costco, issued warnings to its customers about the recalled products via phone calls and emails.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and potentially fatal infections in young children, elderly people or those with weakened immune systems. Healthy people exposed to salmonella may experience a fever, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. In rare cases, salmonella can enter the bloodstream causing severe illnesses including arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis.

The CDC estimates salmonella bacteria cause about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the U.S. every year. Food is the source for most of these illnesses. Symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after infection and last four to seven days.

On Friday, Quaker Oats Company, which is owned by PepsiCo, said in part the following in its statement:

"To date, Quaker has received no confirmed reports of illness related to the products covered by this recall. Quaker has informed the FDA of our actions. Anyone with a product on the recall list can contact Quaker Consumer Relations 1-800-492-9322 or visit www.quakergranolarecall.com for additional information or product reimbursement."

Newsweek reached out to Quaker Oats Company via email for additional comment.

In the first two weeks of December, federal agencies have issued approximately a dozen food-related recalls. Newsweek previously reported that consumable food and beverage products have been recalled over myriad concerns from the FDA and the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

One of the most concerning recalls regarding salmonella was for various cantaloupe products with widespread distribution.