Kellogg's recalls Mini-Wheats due to metal pieces
Kellogg's Mini-Wheats mascot / Facebook/Frosted Mini-Wheats
Kellogg's has issued a voluntary recall of some of its Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite Size Original and Mini-Wheats Unfrosted Bite Size products due to the possibility of flexible metal mesh fragments in the food.
Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite Size Original and Mini-Wheats Unfrosted Bite Size products with the letters KB, AP or FK before or after the Best If Used Before date are part of the recall. The products vary in size from single-serve bowls to large 70-ounce cartons. Use by dates range from April 1, 2013 to Sept. 21, 2013.
A complete list of products and affected UPC codes can be found on the FDA web site.
Although the recall information was put out on Monday on the official Frosted Mini-Wheats Facebook page and Kellogg's website, many consumers only became aware of the potential problem on Thursday.
Some are angry and have posted their complaints online. One YouTube user, mdillard13, recorded himself running a rare earth magnet through a plate of the recalled cereal. A fair amount of the product is picked up by the magnet.
In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Kellogg's reiterated that the public is not at a high risk.
"We understand and apologize for your concern," the company said. "According to Dr. David Acheson, an internal medicine physician and former Chief Medical Officer at the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) with whom we consulted, the likelihood of these fragments making their way into the food is low; furthermore, the chances that any affected food will cause injury is low."
The recall is expected to cost the company between $20 million to $30 million from their third quarter earnings, the Wall Street Journal reported.
This is the second recent recall for the cereal company, according to the Christian Science Monitor. In 2010, they recalled Fruit Loops, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks and Honey Smacks over a weird smell and strange flavors attributed to packaging.
So far, no one has reported any injury from the metal fragments, the Christian Science Monitor said. Concerned customers who have bought the products or have questions should contact the company through the Contact Us feature on Kelloggs.com or call 800-962-1413 from 8 am to 6 pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
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That seems to be what's going on.
Incidentally, problems like this arise from the daily wear and tear on the equipment. There are metal detectors to detect this so the real question is why didn't they catch it in this case?
There has only been one complaint and its likely a very isolated incident - the company is just being super cautious, as they should.
We're talking about cereal; must the generic corporate placeholder be shoved in at every turn?
Great points in your second paragraph... maybe the electronic circuit to detect machine problems was defective... or there's no money made in quality assurance and Kellogg's was just doing things on the cheap like how any company would...
Ditto for the third paragraph; it sounds like an isolated case. Kellogg's being cautious is rather a good sign of having some responsibility and taking ownership in the matter...
I'm not 100% sure on this, but could it be the iron in the cereal being attracted to the magnet?
I'm assuming when they say "mesh fragments" they are talking about larger pieces.