Ice Cream Recalled Because Of Possible Metal Equipment Contamination

Weis Markets has recalled some of its ice creams as they possibly contain metal filling equipment pieces.

The decision was made after a customer found a piece of metal equipment in a 48-ounce Weis Quality Cookies and Cream Ice Cream, the company announced on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. It was unclear how the piece got into the ice cream.

Weis Markets has pulled the product over concerns that an additional piece of the equipment could pose a choking risk to the customers. It has asked those who purchased the ice cream to return it to get a full refund.

The company recalled 10,869 containers of 48-oz. Weis Quality Cookies and Cream Ice Cream with the UPC code 041497-01253 and a sell-by date of 10/28/21. They were produced on Oct. 28, 2020 and sold in nearly 200 Weis Markets stores in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, it said.

The company also shared images of the recalled product on the FDA website.

It also recalled 502 3-gallon bulk containers of Klein's Vanilla Dairy Ice Cream with the code 0302, but they were dispatched to only one store in New York and were "not for retail sale."

Other products packed on the same date include Klein's Cookies and Cream Dairy Bulk and Nelson's Graham Slam Bulk in 3-gallon containers with the code 0302. They have not been distributed and are still at the company's warehouse. Anyone with questions about the recall can contact Weis Markets at 1-866-999-9347.

Choking risks

According to the Mayo Clinic, babies and children are much more susceptible to choking risks because their airways are small and can easily get obstructed. Further, babies are still just learning to properly chew and swallow.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classify suffocation, which includes choking, as one of the common causes of pediatric injury in the U.S., the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said.

To prevent choking injuries in children, the CDC recommends parents to follow some simple safety measures such as making sure they are sitting upright when eating, preparing age-appropriate food and not letting them eat inside a moving vehicle or even a stroller.

Of course, adults are also at risk of choking. Anyone who spots signs of choking in someone, such as the inability to breathe, cough or speak, should hit the person's back between the shoulder blades with the heel of their hand five times and then perform the Heimlich maneuver five times, Healthline said, noting that the two techniques should be done alternately until the person is not choking anymore.