Photo: VN Explorer
Ice cream company Big Olaf has been under fire for their ice cream products that resulted in an outbreak that infected almost two dozen individuals across ten states.
The Food and Drug Administration has announced that all flavors and products from this brand are being withdrawn due to the incident.
The FDA has confirmed that two people died – an adult and a fetus – and 22 have been hospitalized.
“Based on epidemiological information collected by CDC and the [Florida Department of Health], Big Olaf ice cream products are a likely source of illness in this outbreak,” the FDA stated, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the FDA, all “flavors, lots, codes, and expiration dates through 6/30/2022 are included in this recall.” However, it is recommended that consumers and retailers should junk the product, no matter the “best buy” or expiration date.
Some states where cases were reported include Florida, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The CDC encourages companies that sell ice cream to “clean and disinfect any areas and equipment that may have touched” the withdrawn products, “including ice cream scoops and other serving utensils.”
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After a probe by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services into the outbreak at Big Olaf Creamery, production stops indefinitely.
In its recall announcement, the company said it is “cooperating fully with regulatory authorities to successfully return all suspected products and has requested retailers to stop sales and dispose of product.”
The Big Olaf Creamery of Sarasota has a presence all over Florida and distributes to retailers throughout the state. They have one store in Ohio as well.
“The results from product sampling taken from the Big Olaf production facility last week by [the department] found that 16 of the 17 flavors tested were positive for Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono),” said a spokesperson for the Florida agriculture agency, Erin Moffet.
The Big Olaf ice cream flavor where listeria was discovered in product samples, according to the Florida agency, are:
- Blueberry Cheesecake
- Butter Pecan
- Cherry Cordial
- Chocolate
- Chocolate Chip
- Coconut
- Coconut Almond Joy
- Cookie Dough
- Cookies & Cream
- Kahlua Krunch
- Mint Chip
- Pistachio
- Plantation Praline
- Superman
- Vanilla
- White Chocolate Raspberry
“With these results, FDACS is currently issuing formal stop sales on the 16 products where [Listeria] was found, which were previously part of a voluntary recall,” Moffet stated.
The department is working with other agencies to investigate this matter, which has been underway for some time now, said Moffet.
Listeria can result in life-threatening and potentially fatal conditions for vulnerable populations, such as those who are young, immunosuppressed, and elderly. Short-term symptoms in healthy individuals are high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, the FDA said.
Listeria conditions can also lead to miscarriages and stillbirths.
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