Listeria fears spur nationwide ice cream recall

Check your freezer for multiple brands of ice cream that are being recalled by the maker Totally Cool Inc., due to worries over listeria contamination.

The full list of brands and recalled products can be found online, and includes multiple products by Friendly’s, Abylin’s Frozen, some Hershey’s ice cream, Yelloh!, Jeni’s, Cumberland Farms, The Frozen Farmer, Marco, ChipWich, AMAFruits, Taharka, Dolcezza Gelato and Lasalle products.

All are made by Totally Cool, of Owings Mills, Md., which is “recalling multiple brands of ice cream products, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,” the company said in a post on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website.

The products were sold nationwide at retail stores and via direct delivery.

Although no illnesses have been reported to date, “Totally Cool Inc. has ceased the production and distribution of the affected products due to FDA sampling which discovered the presence of Listeria monocytogenes,” the company said.

Consumers who have bought any of the recalled products should return them to the place of purchase for a refund. Consumers can contact Totally Cool at 410-363-7801 and regulatory@totallycoolicecream.com between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET from Monday to Friday.

Listeria monocytogenes is the third-leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States, the CDC notes.

Pregnant women are 10 times more likely than others to get a Listeria infection, according to the CDC, and infection during pregnancy results in fetal loss in about 20% of cases and newborn death in 3% of cases.

Others at increased risk include seniors aged 65 and older and people with weakened immune systems, the CDC said. About 87% of cases not associated with pregnancy need hospitalization, and about 1 in 6 patients die.

Common symptoms include fever, muscle aches and tiredness, the CDC said. Symptoms usually start within two weeks of eating food tainted with Listeria, but they can start as soon as the same day or as late as 10 weeks later.

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