A Florida company is recalling its ice cream products after federal investigators linked them to a listeria outbreak.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Big Olaf Creamery is pulling its frozen dairy products from shelves following a Center for Disease Control (CDC) alert on July 2. Officials are asking both customers and retailers to immediately throw out the ice cream, regardless of the sell-by date.
“Consumers, restaurants, and retailers who purchased or received any Big Olaf ice cream products should throw the products away, follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice and use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination,” according to the FDA. “Listeria can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.”
As of Monday (July 11), 23 people have been infected with listeria across 10 states. Eighteen say they ate Big Olaf ice cream before falling ill, while ten told investigators they specifically ate the branded ice cream or ice cream from places that carried the company's products. At least one person has died.
The FDA, Florida Department of Health, and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are investigating the outbreak.