12 Of The Biggest Recalls In Ice Cream History

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ... safe ice cream! Ice cream is supposed to bring joy, but manufacturing America's favorite frozen treat poses several challenges. From bacterial contamination to labeling mishaps, recalls have swept through the industry, affecting manufacturers large and small.

In approximately the last decade, 12 major recalls shone a light on the way ice cream desserts are produced. Behind each recall lies a detective story of routine testing, facility inspections, and the relentless hunt for the source of contamination. In some cases, the culprit was found in seemingly innocent places: a filling machine spout, condensation dripping from pipes, or residue on improperly cleaned equipment.

To respond to these recalls, some companies revamped their sanitation protocols, upgraded equipment, and implemented more rigorous testing procedures. Sometimes, these changes came at a considerable cost; some manufacturers had to destroy hundreds of tons of product, while others temporarily shuttered their facilities for extensive renovations. Yet these measures ultimately strengthened an industry that today produces around 1.3 billion gallons of ice cream annually, ensuring that this cherished dessert remains both delicious and safe for generations to come. Read on to learn more about some of the most major ice cream recalls, what caused them, and what products were affected.

In September 2013, a Turkey Hill Dairy facility in Pennsylvania issued an ice cream recall. Turkey Hill Dairy, at the time a subsidiary of Kroger, is based in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where its main production facility is located. Although it distributes ice cream nationally through Kroger and Walmart, it is also a staple in small grocers and convenience stores in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

The voluntary recall was enacted due to metal shavings, which the brand thought could have accidentally made their way into some of its ice cream products. The recall involved 1 ½ quart cartons of Fudge Ripple Ice Cream, along with pint-sized cartons of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Premium Ice Cream and Moose Tracks Stuff'd Frozen Dairy Dessert.

While there is no information about how this potential safety issue was assessed, it's clear that metal shavings don't belong in ice cream, since they are sharp and can cause internal damage. The ice cream had been distributed to Walmart locations and small retailers in just a few states, and retailers and consumers were advised to dispose of the product. But, thanks to their precautions, there were no reports of foreign objects being found, and no one appeared to become ill in connection with this recall.

In June 2014, a silly little packaging mishap at a Nestlé facility led to a multi-state recall impacting much of the eastern United States. The brand affected was Häagen-Dazs, a premium ice cream brand owned by Nestlé. It seemed that cartons labeled as Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream were filled with Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream. To make matters even more confusing, the cartons were topped with a Chocolate Peanut Butter lid. Around 10,000 cartons of mislabeled ice cream were sent out to grocery stores in Washington D.C., Delaware, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Whoopsie. 

The issue was first reported by a concerned consumer. Since the carton contained incorrect nutritional information, the package failed to declare the contents as containing a major allergen: Peanuts. For those with a peanut allergy, accidental ingestion can be life-threatening. Because of this, Nestlé issued a recall and advised consumers with peanut allergies not to consume the mislabeled product. 

Allergens are a well-known risk in food manufacturing, but bacterial contamination is a much different, and more invisible, beast. In what would turn out to be a string of outbreaks, Blue Bell Creamery's facilities were found to be contaminated with listeria, a result of poor cleaning and maintenance. Listeria is quite a pesky pathogen. It's a hardy little germ that spreads in food, and since heating it is the best way to destroy it, ice cream is a particularly easy way for listeria to spread.

Despite only being available in a portion of the nation's supermarkets (just 23 states) Blue Bell ranks as one of the best-selling ice creams in the country. However, if you want to know what not to do in the case of a food recall, Blue Bell's company President Paul Kruse was a stunning example. When notified in February 2015 by Texas state officials that two of its ice cream products had tested positive for the dangerous pathogen, Kruse orchestrated attempts to quietly remove the product from shelves in retail establishments without alerting the stores or consumers. 

But when five patients in Kansas came down with the same strain of listeriosis, the severe illness caused by ingestion of listeria-contaminated food, Blue Bell finally announced a public recall. Reports of listeriosis also popped up in Arizona, Oklahoma, and Texas. Then, three of the five patients in Kansas died. This was serious. 

Testing at production facilities uncovered contamination at a second facility in Oklahoma and by March 23, 2015, Blue Bell expanded the initial recall to include every product it produced. Every plant was closed for cleaning and testing, and ultimately, the lawsuit brought against the company resulted in a total of $19.35 million dollars in fines (the second largest payout on record on the matter of food safety at the time). By the time Blue Bell reopened its facilities late that year, it had undergone some significant changes to sanitation processes and testing procedures. 

On March 26, 2015, just three days after Blue Bell issued its expanded recall, routine testing by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found listeria at a Jeni's Ice Cream facility. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, an Ohio-based company, had scoop shops in three major cities and distributed to over 700 locations around the time of the recall. In contrast to the reaction from Blue Bell, Jeni's swiftly issued a recall of its entire product line, even closing its retail scoop shops until safety could be ensured. 

In this case, inspectors reported a basic lack of understanding when it came to proper sanitation procedures for food manufacturing. All in all, 11 issues were identified at the Columbus facility, including things like wiping food contact surfaces without sanitizer and not knowing that floor sanitation procedures were necessary. That's a problem because, while listeria spreads on food, it can also live in soil and dirt. Jeni's responded by not only closing and cleaning its facility for weeks, but by spending over $200,000 in upgrades to re-engineer the facility with food safety in mind. Thanks to its efforts and swift compliance, no sickness or death was reported in connection with this recall. 

Working Cow has been operating since 1993 and is known for partnering with local dairies to source ingredients for its ice cream. In 2018, Working Cow Homemade Ice Cream — an ice cream manufacturer in Southern Florida — issued a voluntary recall. 

That October, two of its products were officially recalled because of a potential listeria contamination. Listeria was found to be present in the manufacturing environment during a routine test. Then, when a sick consumer in Florida ended up being linked to that strain, the recall was issued. The company's No Sugar Added Vanilla and No Sugar Added Chocolate ice cream tubs were removed from restaurants and independent living facilities in the South Florida region.

All told, Working Cow had 152 retail customers affected by the recall. The manufacturing facility closed, while further testing took place to identify the source of contamination. In the end, Working Cow Homemade chose to pivot, and rely on ice cream made by a third party. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the proposed pivot and lifted their suspension in February 2019.

Let's not forget there is more than one threat when it comes to food safety. There's foreign object contamination, which occurs when non-food items (like metal shavings or others) make their way into the packaged product. No one wanted to see Blue Bell's name in the news again, and yet, in 2019, an entire batch of its Butter Crunch ice cream had to be recalled when a plastic object was found in one half-gallon tub of the ice cream. Apparently, the piece of plastic was part of a broken tool that made it into the product during manufacturing. 

Blue Bell Creameries issued a voluntary recall for the entire day's production, which meant recalling half gallons of Butter Crunch Ice cream that had been distributed to parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Products were removed from shelves quickly, and no injuries were reported during this particular incident, proving that Blue Bell was, in fact, taking health and safety issues seriously this time. 

Ice cream makers Ben & Jerry have always been a little nutty. As a company that started at a gas station in the '70s, they've come a long way. But in April 2019, when an undeclared tree nut was found during a production operation at Ben & Jerry's facilities in Vermont, things got serious. While finding a nut doesn't immediately set off alarm bells, the flavors being produced — Coconut Seven Layer Bar and Chunky Monkey — only bore warnings about containing walnuts. Yes, the label included a broad warning that the flavors may contain tree nuts, but with an allergy as severe as tree nuts, which can prove life-threatening, Ben & Jerry's moved swiftly to recall the affected product.

Pints of the recalled Chunky Monkey Ice Cream had been distributed nationwide into retail stores, while 2.4-gallon bulk tubs of Coconut Seven Layer Bar Ice Cream were disturbed nationwide through wholesale and scoop shops. Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry's, conducted an investigation and determined that the error was due to an issue with one of its nut suppliers. The issue was resolved, and there were no reported illnesses.

So far, ice cream produced in the U.S. has been the focus of all of these recalls. Food safety, however, is an issue of international concern. Nestlé, a giant conglomerate that forms the world's largest food and beverage company, has production partners all over the world. In Spain, one of these partners, Froneri, ended up in hot water in July 2021, when it was determined that over 46 product lines were accidentally contaminated with a potential carcinogen. It turns out an additive used as a stabilizer contained trace amounts of ethylene oxide, a banned chemical known to cause cancer. This contamination affected ice cream varieties under the Nestlé name brand, including Mars, Toblerone, Oreo, and more.

Consumers were urged to discard the product or return it to the retailer for a full refund, while also being assured that the amount of ethylene oxide in the product would be limited to amounts unlikely to cause harm. Because of the sheer number of products that were affected, Nestlé created a website to help consumers determine if the product they purchased was affected and should be disposed of. Thankfully, no illnesses were reported in connection with this recall.

The following year, the Quebec-based Agropur Coopérative issued a recall for ice cream produced under various brand names, including the well-known Baskin-Robbins. The April 2022 recall spanned four brands, and 13 flavors of ice cream, that had been supplied to restaurants, hotel chains, and retail institutions. The cause of concern was potential contamination from pieces of metal and plastic. Since ingesting metal or plastic can cause choking, cuts, and infection and may even require surgery to remove, the risk of harm from foreign object contamination is very real.

Quarts of Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Chocolate Mousse Royale Ice Cream, Pralines 'N Cream Ice Cream, and Vanilla Ice Cream, as well as 3-gallon bulk tubs of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream made their way to retail shops across Canada, only to be recalled along with several flavors under the labels President's Choice, Best Buy, and Scotsburn Joins Farmers.

These products were deemed a hazard thanks to the potential harm that could result from ingesting metal and plastic pieces. However, Agropur reported no illness or injury in relation to the recalled ice cream flavors.

Weis Markets, a grocery chain based out of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, that serves Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and West Virginia, issued a recall in August 2023 for its Brownie Moose Tracks Ice Cream. It seems that the product was mistakenly processed on equipment shared with a product that contained eggs. Since the moose tracks flavor did not contain eggs, cross contamination could then occur. Eggs, like peanuts and tree nuts, are a common allergen, and for those with an egg allergy, accidental ingestion can cause symptoms ranging from hives to anaphylaxis. Because allergic reactions can be unpredictable, even a small amount of egg can be a serious threat.

In light of this, the 48-ounce containers of Brownie Moose Tracks ice cream that had been distributed to all 197 Weis locations were recalled. Consumers were advised to dispose of any previously purchased ice cream that had been affected or to return the product to the store for a refund, and there were no cases of illness reported.

In early August of 2023, a strain of listeria surfaced when two people — one in New York and one in Pennsylvania — were admitted to the hospital with symptoms of listeriosis. Both patients had eaten a Soft Serve On the Go cup of Vanilla Chocolate Ice Cream made by Real Kosher Ice Cream. The FDA was able to collect an unused product sample from one of the patient's homes and confirmed the presence of listeria. A recall was issued for all flavors of the ice cream and sorbet cups that Real Kosher Ice Cream produced, and production was halted while an investigation took place. 

By August 30, Ice Cream House, a company that produces cakes, ice creams, or sorbets from the same facility as Real Kosher, issued a voluntary recall of all of their products, as well as 91 items. The products being recalled were sold at the Ice Cream House in Brooklyn and in retail supermarkets throughout New York, New Jersey, and Ohio. The facility has since taken corrective action, including the precaution of adding lot numbers to their packaging, to more easily trace products throughout their life cycle in case of future recalls. 

In June 2024, folks hoping to beat the heat of summer were advised to stay away from Totally Cool ice cream treats. Based in Maryland, Totally Cool, Inc. was owned by Owings Mills and was responsible for making frozen treats for brands like Hershey's, Friendly's, Chipwich, and Jeni's. When an FDA sampling of the products tested positive for listeria, production of over 60 types of ice cream treats was immediately halted. 

The treats involved everything from fruit purees to celebration cakes and ice cream sandwiches, and were traceable by dates and plant codes featured on the packaging. These items were distributed nationwide in retail stores and via direct delivery, and customers were urged to return the items to the place they were initially purchased for a full refund. In the wake of the recall, the company was forced to lay off 68 of its 71 employees, and by August, Owings Mills had filed for bankruptcy. Listeria was found on one line at the production facility, and no illnesses were ever reported.