Featured
A new recall of more than 60 ice cream products due to possible listeria contamination may have surprised people who didn’t realize the pathogen more commonly found in deli meat can survive freezing temperatures.
But Northeastern University food policy safety expert Darin Detwiler says that listeria monocytogenes, a type of potentially deadly bacteria, is extremely hardy and poses a particular risk to the ice cream production and storage process.
“Unlike many other pathogens, listeria can continue to grow in ice cream even while it is stored in freezers,” he says.
“Ice cream’s long shelf life allows more time for listeria to grow if contamination occurs, increasing the risk of infection over time,” says Detwiler, an associate teaching professor.
Totally Cool, a Maryland-based ice cream manufacturer, has recalled 68 ice cream products across 13 brands because of possible listeria contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced this week.
The recall includes ice cream products under the Friendly’s, Hershey’s, Jeni’s, Cumberland and Frozen Farmer’s brands.
The recall, which was issued voluntarily by Totally Cool, is considered a “Class-I recall, which is the most serious type of recall,” Detwiler says.
“It involves a situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
Listeria can cause severe illness
The FDA says listeria “can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,” although no illnesses associated with this recall have been reported to date.
“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 says.
The CDC estimates that listeria sickens about 1,600 people each year, resulting in 260 deaths.
Detwiler says a notable outbreak of listeria in 2015 linked to Blue Bell Creameries ice cream resulted in multiple deaths and illnesses, leading to a massive recall and temporary shutdown of production facilities.
Symptoms may be delayed
“Even though milk is pasteurized, listeria can contaminate ice cream during the mixing, flavoring or packaging stages if equipment or surfaces are not sanitized properly,” Detwiler says.
Connecting an illness to listeria contamination can be tricky since symptoms can take up to two weeks or more to appear, Detwiler says.
“The long incubation period makes it difficult for individuals to recall specific foods they consumed during the relevant timeframe.”
In addition, Detwiler says, “contaminated products that are distributed nationwide, like the ice cream products from Totally Cool Inc., can affect many people in different regions, and complicate trace-back efforts.”
The importance of federal inspections
Companies often conduct their own food safety inspections and tests, including testing for possible listeria contamination, Detwiler says.
Testing includes swabbing equipment and surfaces as well as checking finished products, he says.
In the case of the Totally Cool ice cream products recall, the FDA alert says its own sampling “discovered the presence of listeria monocytogenes,” which Detwiler says “underscores the role of federal agencies” when it comes to enforcing food safety regulations.
It should prompt discussion on current regulations and the need for stricter oversight, he says.
Totally Cool has ceased production and distribution of the affected products. Consumers who have recalled products in their possession are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Consumers with questions can call Totally Cool at (410) 363-7801 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. EDT or contact the company at regulatory@totallycoolicecream.com.