Is No Ice Cream Safe? Nancy Silverton’s Gelato Recalled Due to Listeria Scare

What’s worse than E. coli-tainted burritos? Listeria-stricken ice cream. The bacteria that cost Jeni’s Splendid millions and nearly took down Blue Bell has struck again: Several brands of ice cream have been recalled over listeria fears, including prolific LA chef and baker Nancy Silverton’s namesake gelato line.

The recalled ice creams include Nancy’s Fancy gelato in butterscotch budino and crunchy peanut butter flavors; Agave Dream pints in vanilla, chocolate, cappuccino, chocolate chip, and lavender; and LA Creamery’s honeycomb and salted caramel. All were produced by a contract manufacturer called Dr. Bob’s; the FDA recently discovered listeria inside the production facility as well as in the finished product of another ice cream brand produced there. A fourth brand, McConnell’s, issued its voluntary recall last week.

The recall notice for Nancy’s Fancy asserts that the brand only used Dr. Bob’s facilities once back in March, and “will not produce in the Dr. Bob’s facility going forward.”

None of the four ice cream brands involved in the recall have found listeria in their own products, but at this point they can’t be too careful: Blue Bell’s listeria problem was linked to three deaths, and it issued yet another multi-state recall just last month thanks to potentially tainted cookie dough.

According to the CDC, listeria symptoms include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues; it primarily affects infants, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems.

• ISB Food Group Recalls Nancy’s Fancy Gelato Because of Health Risk [FDA]
• Listeria Tainted Cookie Dough Causes More Ice Cream Recalls [E]
• 16 States Affected by Latest Blue Bell Ice Cream Recall [E]