The US Food and Drug Administration continues to investigate the outbreak, which it has now linked to Soft Serve On The Go cups made by the Brooklyn, New York-based manufacturer.
The investigation was prompted after two hospitalized patients, each in the states of Pennsylvania and New York, were treated for listeriosis after consuming the ice cream company’s products. While the outbreak has so far been limited to these neighboring states in terms of cases of ill people and no deaths have been recorded, Real Kosher Ice Cream Inc.’s soft-serve products – all of which have been voluntarily recalled by the company – are distributed in 20 US states. The recall also impacts markets outside of the US since the products are distributed to Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the UK.
According to the latest update published by the federal agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has successfully matched the strain of listeria found in a sample of an unopened Soft Serve On The Go product collected from an ill person’s home to the strain of Listeria that’s caused illnesses in this outbreak.
Product sampling conducted by the authorities at Real Kosher’s manufacturing plant also returned positive results for the bacteria, with five product samples of Vanilla Chocolate ice cream testing positive for listeria monocytogenes and contained the same strain as the one that caused the two patient illnesses.
Real Kosher Ice Cream Inc. has not responded to DairyReporter’s approaches for comment but has issued the following statement on its website:
“Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our customers, which is why we have made the decision to recall all Soft Serve on the Go Cups. Soft Serve on the Go Cups are manufactured at their own dedicated facility. No other products are affected by this recall.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this recall may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work diligently to ensure your safety. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our Soft Serve on the Go team at 845-668-4346 or info@softserveonthego.com. Thank you for your trust in our company. We remain committed to delivering safe and high-quality products to you.”
The investigation continues.
Class action lawsuit
The ice cream maker is also facing a class action lawsuit, with more than 100 class action members seeking damages for more than $5m. More on this story can be found in this DairyReporter news article.
