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FDA Releases Results of Ice Cream Factory Inspections Spurred by Recalls, Listeria
FDA Releases Results of Ice Cream Factory Inspections Spurred by Recalls, Listeria
Jan 17, 2024 3:44 PM

At a Glance

FDA takes action after a series of ice cream recalls and a listeria outbreakThe FDA inspected 89 ice cream manufacturing facilities in 32 states. The CDC estimates that 3,000 people a year die in the U.S. from foodborne illnesses.One plant was shut down, five others took corrective action.

A two-year investigation of ice cream production facilities by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration led to three voluntary recalls, one facility forced to cease production, and numerous corrective actions at other ice cream plants, according to an FDA report issued Wednesday.

The FDA found the bacteria Listeria in 19 of 89 facilities inspected in 32 states in 2016 and 2017, but only one of those samples was found on a surface where food products were handled. Salmonella was also found in one of the ice cream factories, according to the report.

Listeria can cause listeriosis, an infection with symptoms including fever, muscle aches, confusion, headaches and a stiff neck. The FDA investigation was launched after several illnesses and the of three people caused by listeria-tainted ice cream between 2010 and 2015. The was traced back to two Blue Bell ice cream factories, prompting a massive recall of the company's products.

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As a result of the investigation, one ice cream manufacturer in St. Petersburg, Florida, was ordered to . The company, which also initiated two voluntary recalls, has since converted its plant to a distribution facility.

Five other facilities were ordered by the FDA to take due to unsanitary conditions. Those plants are located in California, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan and New York.

“Although many of these facilities were adhering to good manufacturing practices, we did find that some of the law,” Frank Yiannas, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, said in a statement. “Findings from our inspections resulted in three voluntary recalls that were conducted in 2017 and 2018 to protect public health. We also collaborated with inspected companies to help them make needed corrections and implement food safety plans designed to keep harmful bacteria out of their products and protect American consumers.”

Allen Sayler, a former FDA and USDA regulator who has been working on dairy food safety for 36 years, told the agribusiness website IEG Policy that the findings don’t necessarily indicate a cause for alarm.

“When you are working with raw (food) material … it is to find Listeria,” Sayler said.

An estimated nationwide, or one in six, get sick from foodborne illnesses each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Of those, an estimated 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die.

“Inspecting food facilities and collecting and testing samples from the environment where foods are produced are two of the many ways the FDA works to better understand microbial hazards and to help prevent contaminated products from reaching consumers," Yiannas said. "These activities help the FDA gather data and information necessary to develop prevention-based systems and, when contamination does occur, to respond swiftly to these hazards."

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