Nestle USDA is voluntarily recalling its Nestle Drumstick Club 16 count Variety Pack and 24 count Vanilla Pack for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. These products were made in Bakersfield, California and distributed nationally. The packages contain 4.6 fluid ounce cones and are marked “for easy individual sale.”
The company got positive test results for Listeria monocytogenes from equipment contact surfaces on a production line where those products are made. There have been no positive test results for Listeria monocytogenes in the cones themselves. No illnesses have been reported to date, but listeriosis, the illness this bacteria causes, can take up to 70 days to appear.
The Drumstick Club 16 Count Variety Pack has a UPC number of 72554-11096 and has best before dates between June 2 and June 15, 2017. The Drumstick 24 count Vanilla Pack has a UPC number of 72554-00160 and best before dates between June 16 and June 19, 2017. You can see the long list of production codes for these products at the FDA web site, along with pictures of the recalled products.
If you purchased either of these products, do not eat them. Throw them away in a sealed or double bagged package so other people and animals can’t eat them, or take them back to the place of purchase for a refund. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling these products.
Then clean out your freezer with a mild bleach solution to kill any bacteria. Freezing does not kill Listeria bacteria, and once it establishes a foothold it can be very hard to eradicate.
If you ate either of these recalled products, monitor yourself for the symptoms of listeriosis for the next 70 days. Those symptoms include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Pregnant women can suffer miscarriage or stillbirth if they contract listeriosis, even if they only have mild flu-like symptoms. If you do get sick, see your doctor and tell him you ate this recalled product.
