Ice Cream Sold Nationwide Recalled Over Possible Listeria

It’s summertime, so, of course many of us will be getting our hands on some ice cream. And if you’re one who prefers keeping a carton or two at home then you don’t want to miss this. According to a June 24 notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 13 different brands of ice cream sold nationwide are being recalled.

Totally Cool, Inc. of Owings Mills, Maryland, initiated the recall due to concerns about potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

According to a separate document published by the FDA, the recall impacts several pints of sorbet and ice cream, as well as different ice cream cakes, cones, and sandwiches from 13 brands.

The notice says that products from Friendly's, Abilyn's Frozen Bakery, Hershey's Ice Cream, Yelloh!, Jeni's, Cumberland Farms, The Frozen Farmer, Marco, ChipWich, AMAFruits, Taharka, Dolcezza Gelato, and LaSalle brands were pulled. 

The FDA document includes a complete list of specific items and affected posts. It’s worth noting that the recall does not impact any products other than those listed in the FDA document.

Affected ice cream products were distributed nationwide, available at retail locations and through direct delivery. Following sampling that revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, the FDA confirmed that Totally Cool, Inc. "ceased the production and distribution of the affected products." The company is also "taking preventive actions" while the FDA continues its investigation.

Totally Cool, Inc. hasn't received reports of illnesses related to the recall, but consumers are instructed to return any recalled products to their place of purchase for a full refund. If you have any questions, the FDA asks that you reach out to Totally Cool, Inc. directly by phone 410-363-7801 or email regulatory@totallycoolicecream.com.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeria (listeriosis) is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems.

"Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women," the FDA warns. These symptoms can start a few days after you've eaten contaminated food or as many as 30 days after, according to the Mayo Clinic.

A new Consumer Reports study has ranked the riskiest foods. They analyzed data from the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Agriculture between 2017 and 2022. Their researchers focused on "widely consumed foods" that had recalls over a specific duration of time.

According to Consumers Reports, the CDC estimates that 48 million people each year fall ill from salmonella, listeria, E. coli, or other bacteria or viruses in food. They said most recover on their own after a few days. But about 130,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 die from foodborne illnesses yearly.

Some of the foods that are ranked at the top of the list include bagged salads, poultry products, and deli meats. The top five are leafy greens, deli cheese and meat, ground beef, onions, and poultry. Bagged salads and other leafy greens ranked number one on the list. They found 50 different recalls linked to them since 2017. Also, it has the most caused deaths. Last on the list at number ten is flour. Unlike leafy greens, flour has had zero total deaths.

"We aren’t saying people need to avoid these foods entirely," says Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at CR, who led the analysis. "After all, these foods are all usually safe, and many of them are in fact important parts of a healthy diet." Ronholm continued to say in Consumers Report that the list underscores the "importance of following best food safety practices with all of your foods, including knowing how to track, and respond, to food recalls when they happen." Read the entire list, and learn how you can reduce your risk at Consumer Reports.