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Ritz Recall: Cracker Products with Cheese Pulled Over Salmonella Risk

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Ritz Bits
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This article was updated on July 25.

Several people have fallen ill after eating recalled Ritz Crackers, according to news reports.

On Tuesday (July 24), a spokesperson for Mondelēz International, the maker of Ritz Crackers, said that the company is in contact with two people who reported illnesses after eating Ritz Crackers, according to the New York Times.

On Saturday (July 21), the company announced it was voluntarily recalling 16 varieties of Ritz Cracker Sandwiches and Ritz Bits products, all of which have cheese in them. These products contain an ingredient called whey powder, but Mondelēz's supplier of whey powder has recalled this ingredient because it may be contaminated with Salmonella, the company said in a statement.

Consumers who bought the recalled products should not eat them and should throw the products away, the statement said.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps that occur between 12 and 72 hours after infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. But in some cases, the diarrhea can be so severe that the person needs to be hospitalized. Severe Salmonella infections are most likely to occur in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.

The specific UPC codes and "best when used by" dates of the recalled products are available here. People who want more information about the recall can contact the company at 1-844-366 -1171.

Originally published on Live Science.

Rachael Rettner
Rachael Rettner
Contributor

Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.