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Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice Recalled After Children Get Sick

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Mars Foodservices issued a voluntary recall on all bags and lot numbers of Uncle Ben's Infused Rice products produced last year following a few incidents of illnesses after ingesting the product, The Huffington Post reported.

Thirty-four students and four  teachers at three public schools in Katy, Texas, reported skin reactions, headaches and nausea  after eating Uncle Ben's Infused Rice Mexican Flavor to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation Network Friday. The symptoms lasted for 30 to 90 minutes, the Huffington Post reported.

Similar incidents occurred in public schools last year. On Dec. 4, the Illinois Department of Public Health notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of 25 children with similar skin reactions following a school lunch that served an Uncle Ben's Infused Rice product. On Oct. 30, North Dakota reported that three children and one college student experienced flushing reactions 45 minutes after consuming an Uncle Ben's Infused Rice product.

Although the products being recalled are not typically marketed to individual consumers, it may be available over the Internet and at warehouse-type retailers, the FDA said in a statement.

Uncle Ben's Brand Ready to Heat, Boxed, Bag or Cup products sold at grocery stores and other retail outlets are not being recalled.

The FDA, the (CDC), and state and local officials in Texas have been investigating a cluster of illnesses associated with Uncle Ben's Infused Rice Mexican Flavor sold in 5- and 25-pound bags.

The federal agency said food service companies and consumers who have purchased the products should not use the rice, and should return it to their point of purchase or dispose of it.

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