Urgent nationwide recall on 70 ice cream products including Hershey’s over deadly listeria link

Food watchdogs have recalled more than 70 ice cream brands after tests revealed they could be contaminated with listeria.

Following the discovery, Maryland-based Totally Cool stopped producing and distributing all of its ice cream-based products.

Affected treats include Friendly’s ice cream cakes, Hershey’s ice cream cones and Jeni’s sandwiches. Scroll down for the full list of brands.

Listeria monocytogenes can kill young children, seniors or people with weak immune systems contract listeria, according to the FDA notice.

Affected products were shipped all across America. For a time, they were available in stores and for direct-delivery to people’s homes.

The full list of products can be found here. Customers who have them should return them for a full refund or throw them away immediately.  

However, consumers who have any of the listed products in their possession are urged to return them immediately

Jenni’s products like this are also part of the recall

Totally Cool makes products for brands and supermarkets – on long term deals and shorter ones where it steps in to help with spikes in demand.

For example, Taharka Brothers Ice Cream, one of the impacted brands, asked Totally Cool to step in for a production run of two of its most popular flavors, Honey Graham and Key Lime. 

‘While no listeria has been detected in our ice cream, or any of the ice cream produced at Totally Cool, the FDA is requiring a full recall out of an abundance of caution,’ Taharka said in a statement posted on Facebook.

The company has now restarted production of the two flavors at its own factory.  

As of June 24, no illnesses connected to the recalled products have been reported. 

Totally Cool is investigating what went wrong. 

People  who are otherwise healthy by get infected with the bacteria could experience high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. 

Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to listeria because it can cause miscarriages and stillbirths. 

Symptoms usually begin within 24 hours of consumption and can last for days or weeks, depending on the severity of the infection.

Listeria cases are exceedingly rare in the US, with past outbreaks usually being tied to distribution of unpasteurized milks and cheeses, ice cream, raw vegetables and fruits, as well as undercooked meats, according to the FDA.

The CDC estimates that 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, with 260 of them dying from the disease.

13 brands affected 

In total, 70 products including cakes, sandwiches and pints have been recalled from these brands:

Friendly’s 

Abilyn’s Frozen Bakery 

Hershey’s Ice Cream 

Yelloh! 

Jeni’s (ice cream sandwiches)

Cumberland Farms 

The Frozen Farmer 

Marco 

ChipWich 

AMAFruits 

Taharka Dolcezza 

Gelato 

LaSalle