Food Recall 2015: Listeria Scare Hits Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

A nationwide listeria scare has affected yet another company. On Thursday, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams of Columbus, Ohio, became the latest food company to recall its products due to concerns about possible health risks.

“Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams has initiated a voluntary recall of all ice creams, frozen yogurts, sorbets, and ice cream sandwiches for all flavors and containers because of the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes,” the company wrote in a statement. “The company is ceasing all sales and closing all scoop shops until all products are ensured to be 100% safe.”

Jeni's operates stores in Atlanta; Charleston, South Carolina; Chicago; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee; and Los Angeles.

The recall comes after local officials with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture found a contamination in a random sampling.

“Our top priority is guaranteeing the safety of all consumers by taking every possible precaution, CEO John Lowe said in the statement. “We have called in experts to help us find the root cause. We will be working with our suppliers to determine if the bacteria was introduced by one of the ingredients we use. We will not reopen the kitchen until we can ensure the safety of our customers.”

The statement added that the company had not yet received any reports of customers falling ill after consuming the now recalled products.

Jeni’s joins a long list of companies that have already recalled products due to the listeria hysteria, including fellow ice cream company Blue Bell Ice Cream. Earlier this week Blue Bell recalled all of its products after previously recalling only a small selection of its products in March.

Listeria is a kind of bacteria that can cause infections and attack people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include fever, stiff neck, vomiting, weakness and in some cases diarrhea.