Health Highlights: June 24, 2015

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

E. Coli Scare Spurs Bottled Water Recall

The Niagara Bottling company is recalling 14 brands of its bottled water products after one spring showed signs of contamination with the E. coli bacteria, the company said in a news release.

While the company says no E. coli has been detected in any finished product, “we immediately shut down our operations, disinfected our bottling lines and initiated a voluntary recall in an abundance of caution and in the interests of consumer safety.”

Niagara says no complaints of illness have yet been received.

The bottled waters under recall include the following brands: Acadia, Acme, Big Y, Best Yet, 7-11, Niagara, Nature’s Place, Pricerite, Superchill, Morning Fresh, Shaws, Shoprite, Western Beef Blue, and Wegmans.

Only bottles with the following Best By codes on the labels are affected: F# BEST BY 08DEC2016 to F# BEST BY 16DEC2016 or A# BEST BY 08DEC2016 to A# BEST BY 16DEC2016.

“If you don’t see your product on the list, it was completely unaffected by the recall and is completely safe to drink,” the company said. Consumers with any questions can call Niagara at (888)-943-4894.

General Mills to Remove Artificial Ingredients From Cereals

In a move that aims to appeal to a growing number of shoppers who prefer natural foods, General Mills said Monday that it is removing artificial colors and flavors from its cereals.

The popular Trix and Reese’s Puffs cereals will be among the first to be changed, the Associated Press reported. In going with natural colorings and flavorings, the boxes of Trix that hit store shelves later this year will have four colors instead of six. This is because the company could not come up with natural alternatives for the hues of blue and green that tasted as good and were as vibrant, company officials explained.

Sixty percent of the cereals made by the Minneapolis-based company are already made without artificial colorings or flavorings, but 90 percent of its cereals will be made with natural ingredients by the end of 2016, the AP reported. Other popular brands include Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Cereals that contain marshmallows, such as Lucky Charms, will take longer to reformulate, company officials noted.

Other food companies have already taken similar steps, the wire service said. Panera, Pizza Hut, Hershey and Nestle have all announced in recent months that they are removing artificial ingredients from their products, the AP reported.

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