16 Big Olaf Ice Cream Flavors Tested Positive For Listeria: Report

SARASOTA, FL — Following a national listeria outbreak linked to Big Olaf Creamery, 16 of the brand’s 17 ice cream flavors that were tested had traces of the bacteria, according to multiple reports.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially connected the outbreak, which left one person dead and nearly two dozen people hospitalized, to the ice cream brand in a June 30 food safety alert.

Among the flavors that tested positive for listeria were the Blueberry Cheesecake, Butter Pecan, Cherry Cordial, Chocolate, Cookie Dough, Chocolate Chip, Coconut, Coconut Almond Joy, Cookies & Cream, Kahlua Krunch, Mint Chip, Pistachio, Plantation Praline, Superman, Vanilla and White Chocolate Raspberry, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

Earlier last week, listeria was also found at Big Olaf Creamery's processing facility in Sarasota. Testing showed the presence of listeria in nine of 100 samples collected by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at the brand’s facility, WFLA reported. The agency issued a stop-use order for the facility, which had already voluntarily shut down operations.

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After the positive results for ice cream samples collected July 9 came back positive for listeria Friday, FDACS also issued an official stop-sale order for those products, Erin Moffet, agency spokesperson, told the Tampa Bay Times.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has also issued a recall of Big Olaf brand ice cream sold to consumers in plastic pint-size containers and plastic ½-gallon containers and to retailers in plastic 2.5-gallon tubs. The recall includes all flavors, lots, codes and expiration dates through June 30.

The ice cream was sold to and served at Big Olaf retailers, restaurants and senior homes in Florida, as well as one location in Fredericksburg, Ohio.

The brand is facing two lawsuits related to the outbreak. The estate of a 79-year-old Pesotum, Illinois woman, Mary Billman, who died Jan. 29 filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Big Olaf. A Massachusetts woman is also suing the company after she became ill from eating the ice cream while visiting Florida and lost her pregnancy, her attorney said.

As of July 13, 23 people ranging in age from less than 1 year old to 92 have been infected during this outbreak. The first illness happened Jan. 24, 2021, and the most recent was reported June 12, 2022, the CDC said.

Recent illnesses might not be reported yet because it takes three to four weeks to determine whether someone who is sick is part of the outbreak, the agency added. Symptoms usually start within two weeks after eating food contaminated with listeria, though people might feel sick as early as the same day or as many as 70 days later.

Those with Listeriosis, caused by the germ Listeria monocytogenes, typically report common food poisoning symptoms, such as diarrhea and fever. Most people usually recover without requiring treatment, the CDC said. It primarily affects pregnant women, newborns, adults 65 and older, and those with weakened immune systems.

During this current listeria outbreak, 12 people in Florida — the most out of any state — have fallen ill. New York and Massachusetts have each reported two sick people, while Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Illinois, Georgia and Pennsylvania have each reported one sick person.