Ice Cream Recall Due to Listeria Contamination
Totally Cool, a Maryland-based ice cream manufacturer, issued the recall by the Food and Drug Administration on Monday and stated that it had already ceased manufacturing and distribution of the involved goods.
The goods, which were marketed nationally by retail and direct delivery, might be infected with Listeria Contamination, which the FDA warns can cause serious, often deadly illnesses in young children, those who are weak or people older than 70, and persons with compromised immune systems.
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Totally Cool stated that no illnesses have been recorded yet and asked buyers to return the goods for a full refund.
What is Listeria? Define Listeria
Listeria is a type of bacteria commonly found in soil, water, and some animals. It can contaminate food, especially unpasteurized dairy products, raw vegetables, and ready-to-eat meats.
When ingested, it can cause listeriosis, a serious infection particularly dangerous for pregnant women, newborns, the people older than 70, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
What are the Bacteria Listeria Symptoms?
Short-term Symptoms for Listeria include:
- A High Temperature
- Severe Headache
- Stiffness
- Nausea
- Stomach Discomfort
- Diarrhea
The FDA warns that the infection can also cause stillbirths and miscarriages in pregnant women.
What Brands Products Recalled?
The following companies have recalled around 67 ice cream items, ranging from pints to ice cream sandwiches:
- Friendly’s
- Abilyn’s Frozen Bakery
- Hershey’s
- Yelloh!
- Jeni’s
- Cumberland Farms
- The Frozen Farmer
- Marco
- ChipWich
- AMAFruits
- Taharka
- Dolcezza Gelato
- LaSalle
The FDA website includes a complete list of affected items from every company.
Tangent
Earlier this year, the FDA finished a “multi-year, multi-state” investigation into Listeria Contamination in two more dairy products made by Rizo Lopez Foods, Inc. in Modesto, California: queso fresco and cotija cheeses.
The incident, which the FDA says ended on April 9, resulted in 26 cases of Listeria in 11 states, 23 hospitalizations, and two fatalities.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Listeria Contamination bacteria can be found in soil, water, and animal feces, and they can enter food infected by soil, unpasteurized milk, or foods made with unpasteurized milk, as well as some processed foods.
Unlike some other bacteria, Listeria bacteria can survive refrigeration and freezing.
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Key Background
Food recalls are not rare, and 2023 saw the highest number since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a US Public Research Interest Group Education Fund survey, over half of the recalls last year were for allergies not stated on packaging, 15% for potential Listeria Contamination, and nearly 9% for potential salmonella contamination.
A Surprising Fact
Totally Cool manufactures ice cream for various famous brands, however, it is not usually the sole production facility.
In a letter to Fast Company on the recall, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams stated that Totally Cool was a “supplier that produced Jeni’s Frozen Dessert Sandwiches,” but that no other Jeni’s products are made at the plant.
Taharka Brothers, another company involved in the recall, announced on social media that it “outsource a single production run of two of our more common pint flavors” to a “highly recognized ice cream manufacturer.”
