Over 95 types of ice cream and sherbert are being voluntarily recalled because they could potentially be contaminated with Listeria, according to a company announcement posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The company, Velvet Ice Cream, has a number of different brands that you may find at your local grocery store.
The wide variety of recalled products includes containers of many different flavors of ice cream and sherbet, ranging in size from one pint to three gallons, as well as some ice cream bars and sherbet pops.
These particular products have been made and distributed on or after March 24, 2021.
It was sent to supermarkets, drug stores, and convenience stores in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. Routine testing found the issue, prompting the ice cream recall.
Brands that are included are Buehler's, North Star, Super Dip, Velvet, and more.
They come in various types of packaging—to see a full list of the products, what they look like, and their product codes, visit the FDA's website.
"We're conducting this voluntary recall in cooperation with the FDA out of consideration for the wellbeing and safety of our customers and consumers," the CEO of Velvet Ice Cream, Luconda Dager, said in the announcement. "We continue to be committed to serving consumers with high-quality ice cream and sherbet products."
Listeria bacteria can survive on food products after refrigeration and freezing. Symptoms of an infection include fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea.
It can also infect the nervous system, causing headaches, a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions. These can develop anywhere from a few to 30 days after eating contaminated food.
Most cases cause symptoms such as fever and diarrhea and don’t require specific treatment or hospitalization.
But people who are pregnant (and their unborn babies), newborns, those aged 65 or older, or anyone living with a weakened immune system are more vulnerable to the illness.
These groups may experience more severe symptoms or an invasive listeria infection, which occurs when the infection spreads beyond the gut and causes symptoms such as a stiff neck, confusion, and loss of balance, the CDC explains.
In pregnant people, though invasive listeriosis may cause only flu-like symptoms (such as fatigue and muscle aches), it can nonetheless result in serious complications, the CDC says.
While most healthy people with mild listeriosis don't need antibiotic treatment, people with serious or invasive infections often do, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Consumers who have any of the recalled products should throw them away or return them to the store where they were bought for a refund.
Customers may also contact Velvet Ice Cream via phone or online to ask questions.