A Listeria outbreak linked to Soft Serve on the Go ice cream has sickened at least two people, both of whom were hospitalized. The recalled ice cream cups were distributed to 19 states, Washington DC, and some international locations. But just where the products were made has been a mystery, until now.
Real Kosher Ice Cream of Brooklyn issued a recall for the ice cream cups on August 9 and halted distribution of the products. A statement on the company’s website, says “Serve on the Go Cups are manufactured at their own dedicated facility.” But neither the recall nor the website statement indicates where that facility is located.
It turns out, the mystery facility is located just blocks from Real Kosher Ice Cream. Soft Serve on the Go ice cream was made at Ice Cream House, LLC, located at 2 Church Avenue, in Brooklyn, a spokesperson for the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYDAM) told Food Poisoning Bulletin today. The agency conducted an inspection of the facility on August 7 and plans additional inspections as part of the outbreak investigation, she said.
Ice Cream House makes several novelty ice cream products that are sold under different brand names. To date, tests on samples of those products have all been negative for Listeria, the spokesperson said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told Food Poisoning Bulletin that it has not inspected the facility where Soft Serve on the Go was made. The agency did, however, inspect Klein’s Real Kosher Ice Cream in May, the same month the first illness in the outbreak occurred. The agency gave that facility, located at 3614 15th Ave. in Brooklyn, just one voluntary citation.
Both Ice Cream House and Soft Serve on the Go are listed on Real Kosher Ice Cream’s website under a tab titled “Our Brands.” Clicking “Soft Serve on the Go” takes you to a page with images of the six recalled products –
- Soft Serve On The Go Vanilla Chocolate
- Soft Serve On The Go Razzle
- Soft Serve On The Go Caramel
- Soft Serve On The Go Parve Vanilla Chocolate
- Soft Serve On The Go Sorbet Strawberry Mango
- Soft Serve On The Go Lite Peanut Butter
All of them are labeled “sold out.” Clicking “Ice Cream House” takes you to a page that says “No products were found matching your selection.”
Ice Cream Listeria Outbreak Investigation
At this time, the Soft Serve On The Go Listeria outbreak includes one illness in New York and one illness in Pennsylvania. Together, the FDA, NYDAM, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are conducting an ongoing investigation of this outbreak.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture found Listeria in an unopened sample of Soft Serve On The Go the agency collected from an ill person’s home. A whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis confirmed that the Listeria strain found in that sample matches the outbreak strain cultured from the patients.
On August 22, the CDC and FDA revealed that tests on five Vanilla Chocolate Soft Serve On The Go cups NYDAM collected from Real Kosher Ice Cream’s manufacturing location were positive for Listeria. WGS confirmed that the Listeria strain found in these products also matches the outbreak strain.
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