Cereal recalled over possible metal contamination

The recalled Honey Bunches of Oats cereal was sold in California and Colorado

Post’s Honey Bunches of Oats cereal has been recalled because it may be contaminated with metal.

Post Consumer Brands issued a voluntary recall on 5,376 cartons of Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds on May 28, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The recall was classified as “Class II” on June 12, meaning it is “a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote,” per the FDA.

The recalled cereal was sold in 48-ounce boxes with two bags inside. Boxes were sold at Sam's Club stores in California and Colorado. Post notified Allrecipes that “no product reached store shelves.”

The affected boxes have the UPC 8 84912-01428 3 on them, and the “Best if Used By” date of April 9, 2026, or April 10, 2026.

Post recalled 5,376 cartons of Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds (Honey Bunches of Oats)

Consumers are urged to dispose of the recalled cereal and avoid consuming it. Or, they can return it to the place of purchase for a refund.

There have been numerous food recalls issued throughout the last month alone. On Thursday, Turkana Food Inc. issued a recall on 352 cases of its Florida Dried Apricots, due to the presence of an undeclared allergen, sulfites.

Then, last Tuesday, 6,668 cases of Breyers Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream were recalled following customer concerns that there was a mislabeling error. The recall came after it was found that the tubs actually contained Rocky Road ice cream.

The Chocolate Truffle flavor has an allergen label that reads, “may contain tree nuts,” while the Rocky Road flavor declares almonds as one of the ingredients.

The last two years have seen an alarming and unexplained rise in recalls. In 2024, approximately 300 food recalls were issued, with those recalls being linked to nearly 1,400 illnesses, a Public Interest Research Group report revealed.

Out of the 1,400 illnesses, 487 people became sick enough to require hospitalization, and 19 people died. While those numbers are still low when weighed against the entire U.S. population, they are also double the number of hospitalizations and deaths from foodborne illnesses in 2023.