Two individuals were hospitalized earlier this year after becoming infected with Listeria monocytogenes, according to a report released today by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The infections are believed to have been due to consumption of Soft Serve On The Go ice cream, manufactured by Real Kosher Ice Cream of Brooklyn, NY.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture recovered Listeria monocytogenes from an unopened container of Soft Serve On The Go ice cream stored in the freezer of one of the two outbreak victims.
The second victim is believed to have consumed the product at a long-term care facility where they live.
DNA fingerprinting is underway to determine whether the strain recovered from the ice cream is a genetic match to the ones from the two outbreak victims.
The manufacturer has initiated a recall of all flavors of Soft Serve On The Go 8-oz cups, has temporarily ceased all production, and is cooperating with the US Food and Drug Administration’s effort to determine the source of the contamination.
The recalled products were supplied to retailers in California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The products also were distributed in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and The United Kingdom.
CDC’s Advice to Consumers, Care-givers and Businesses
What Everyone Should Do:
- Do not eat “Soft Serve On The Go” ice cream cups.
- Check your freezers. Listeria can survive at freezing temperatures.
- Throw them away or return them to where you bought them for a refund.
- If you have any questions, contact the company at 845-668-4346 or info@softserveonthego.com (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5 pm EST).
- Call a healthcare provider right away if you have these symptoms after eating the ice cream:
- Pregnant people usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.
- People who are not pregnant usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. They may also get a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.
What Long-Term Care Facilities, Hospitals, and Businesses Should Do
- Do not sell or serve “Soft Serve On The Go” ice cream cups.
Listeria Symptoms
- Listeria is especially harmful to people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or with weakened immune systems. This is because Listeria is more likely to spread beyond their gut to other parts of their body, resulting in a severe condition known as invasive listeriosis.
- For people who are pregnant, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in their newborn.
- For people who are 65 years or older or who have a weakened immune system, Listeria often results in hospitalization and sometimes death.
- Symptoms usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after.
- Pregnant people usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.
- People who are not pregnant usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. They may also get a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.
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