More than 60 ice cream products recalled over possible listeria contamination
As millions of Americans try to cool down during the record summer heat, a Maryland-based food manufacturer is recalling multiple brands of ice cream products sold nationwide that may have been contaminated with listeria, a potentially fatal bacteria.
The list of more than 60 affected products made by Totally Cool Inc. of Owings Mills, Md., includes brands such as Hershey’s, Friendly’s, Chipwich and Jeni’s. Pints of ice cream and sorbet, as well as ice cream cakes, sandwiches, cones and more are potentially tainted.
The Food and Drug Administration said there have been no reported illnesses so far.
Totally Cool halted production and distribution of the products after FDA sampling detected the presence of listeria, the agency said.
The company is investigating the presence of listeria and taking "preventative actions," the FDA added, and no other Totally Cool products are included in the recall.
Totally Cool did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment.
Consumers who bought any of the recalled ice cream products are being urged to return the items for a full refund. Affected products can be identified using the date and plant codes printed on the product labels.
Chipwich said in a statement on its website that its parent company, Crave Better Foods LLC, “maintains and operates a small, separate production line” at the same Maryland facility as Totally Cool.
Chipwich called the recall “unfortunate” and said it was “taken out of an abundance of caution and care for the product and its loyal fans.”
Hershey’s Ice Cream said it has stopped sales of potentially impacted products following the recall from its manufacturing partner, Totally Cool. Hershey’s also asked consumers and dealers to throw away any possibly contaminated items they already had on hand.
The FDA says Listeria monocytogenes can lead to serious and occasionally fatal infections in young children, elderly people and anyone with a weakened immune system. Pregnant people infected with listeria can also suffer miscarriages or stillbirths.
Healthy people who eat food contaminated with the bacteria may experience a milder illness with symptoms including high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, the agency said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1,600 people are infected with listeriosis each year, and an estimated 260 of them die.
Transcript
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
It is hot out there. Millions of Americans are facing record heat and just trying to stay cool. But, you know, just this week, there is news that dozens of ice cream products are being recalled by a Maryland food company over possible listeria contamination. NPR's Joe Hernandez has been following this story and joins us now. Hi, Joe.
JOE HERNANDEZ, BYLINE: Hey there.
CHANG: So I hear that - what - more than 60 ice cream products are being recalled? This is such terrible timing. What are the products?
HERNANDEZ: Yeah, so this is being done by a company called Totally Cool in Owings Mills, Md., and it includes brands people have probably heard of before, like Hershey's, Friendly's, Chipwich, Jeni's ice cream. And the products themselves include things like pints of ice cream and sorbet, as well as ice cream cakes, ice cream sandwiches, cones. There's a full list of specific recalled products linked on our website.
CHANG: And what are federal health officials saying about what people should do?
HERNANDEZ: Well, the Food and Drug Administration is urging anybody who bought any of this ice cream to return it for a refund. And you can know for sure if you have an affected product by looking at the date and the plant code on the label. The FDA says it found the presence of listeria during sampling, but so far, no illnesses have been reported. And the agency says, Totally Cool has stopped production. They're investigating what happened, and they're taking so-called preventive actions.
CHANG: OK. Well, what have the company and all these brands whose products are being impacted - saying about what's happening?
HERNANDEZ: Yeah, so NPR reached out to Totally Cool about the recall, but they didn't immediately reply to our request for comment. But some of the brands have released statements. Chipwich said its parent company has a small production line at the Maryland facility and that the recall was taken out of an abundance of caution. Chipwich called the recall unfortunate. And then Hershey's ice cream said in a statement that it's stopped sales of the potentially impacted products. And Hershey's is asking consumers and dealers to throw away any products they already had on hand.
CHANG: Oh, man, such a waste. Well, what kind of risk exactly does a listeria infection pose to people? I don't really know.
HERNANDEZ: Yeah, so the FDA says people who eat food contaminated with listeria bacteria could get a serious and sometimes even fatal infection. And that's especially true for certain groups, so we're talking about young children, the elderly, people with weakened immune systems. And it also poses a danger to pregnant people. They can suffer miscarriages or stillbirths from a listeria infection.
The FDA says healthy people who eat contaminated food might experience a more mild illness with symptoms like high fever or headaches or nausea. According to the CDC, about 1,600 people are infected with listeriosis every year. And of those, about 260 people die.
CHANG: That is NPR's Joe Hernandez reporting. Thank you so much, Joe.
HERNANDEZ: You're welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF BLXST SONG, "PASSIONATE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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