The packs recalled are Special K Red Berries 11.2 ounce, 22.4 ounce twin-pack and 37 ounce. They have been sold in various retailers across the US.
“Kellogg Company has taken this precautionary action due to the possible presence of glass fragments. There have been no reports of any injuries associated with this product,” the cereal company said in a statement.
“At Kellogg, our number one priority is the quality and safety of our foods. All of our processes will be thoroughly reviewed and appropriate actions will be taken to help prevent this situation from happening in the future,” it continued.
The cereal firm said it may also make arrangements to retrieve the product for further evaluation.
Hit again?
In October last year, Kellogg issued a voluntary recall on certain Mini-Wheats packs due to metal mesh fragments.
The recall cost the firm between $20-30m and prompted company CEO John Bryant to admit being “very disappointed” by the recall, which was caused by equipment failure.
However, Bryant insisted at the time that it was not a reflection of systemic supply chain problem.
Voluntary recalls and the costs
Earlier this month BakeryandSnacks.com spoke to a product inspection specialist who said that issuing a voluntary recall is an approach taken by manufacturers to be “on the safe side”.
“With voluntary recalls, there is only a very small risk. It is manufacturers taking the view that one issue of contamination in the market is one too many,” Neil Giles, marketing communications manager for the product inspection division of Mettler-Toledo, said.
He said that ideally companies should aim to identify any contamination before a product leaves the factory – to avoid higher costs and damage to the brand and business.
“Timing is absolutely critical… If it [contamination] is identified in production, it is only the cost of a bit of re-inspection as products are quarantined,” he said.