Dean Foods recalls ice cream over peanut butter Salmonella concerns
The US-based dairy giant took the “precautionary measure” to remove the ice cream products from shelves after peanut butter manufacturer Sunland Inc expanded an existing nationwide product recall.
Sunland Inc expanded its product recall after Salmonella was discovered at its nut butter production plant. In response, Dean Foods ordered the recall of its 1.42 litre cartons ‘Peanut Butter Cup’ and ‘Peanut Butter Chocolate’ flavoured ice cream.
The products were manufactured at Dean Foods’ Buena Park, California processing facility and a Meadow Gold Dairy plant in Utah exclusively for sale in Albertsons retail stores. Distribution from the plants has temporarily ceased.
Several more US ice cream manufacturers and a frozen yogurt pie producer have been forced to initiate identical recalls because their products contain peanut butter ingredients supplied by Sunland Inc.
“May be contaminated”
“The Dean Foods Company of California processing facility in Buena Park, California, and Meadow Gold Dairy processing facility in Orem, Utah, are taking the precautionary measure to voluntarily recall two ice cream varieties manufactured for Albertsons supermarkets,” said the Dean Foods recall notice.
“The recall was initiated because the affected products contain a peanut butter ingredient supplied by Sunland Inc, which may be contaminated with Salmonella. The peanut butter manufacturer Sunland recently expanded its nationwide product recall.”
“The processing facilities have ceased distribution of the affected product and recovery is actively underway. Consumers who have this product should not consume it,” added the notice, which was posted on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.
The recall applies to ice cream sold between March 2010 and September 2012 in California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, and Washington.
No illnesses
No illnesses have been linked to the Dean Foods-manufactured ice cream products, the recall notice added.
However, a total of 35 people have become infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney across 19 states, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
California and Texas have been worst hit by the outbreak - each reporting five cases.
Illnesses have also been reported in Connecticut (3), Massachusetts (3), Nevada (2), Missouri (2), New Jersey (2), Pennsylvania (2), Washington (2), Rhode Island (1), Virginia (1), Illinois (1), Louisiana (1), Arizona (1), Minnesota (1), Michigan (1), Maryland (1), New York (1), and North Carolina (1).
