Is Ice Cream Safe To Eat? FDA Finds Listeria And Salmonella At 20 Ice Cream Production Facilities

Following 16 recalls for ice cream due to pathogens and a Listeria outbreak that lead to three deaths, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has undergone an investigation into the production of ice cream.

The agency began its investigation in August 2016, and has inspected and environmentally sampled 89 ice cream production facilities in 32 states for Listeria and Salmonella contamination. The FDA said this accounted for about 16 percent of the ice cream manufacturers in the domestic U.S.

The findings of the investigation showed that Listeria was present in 19 of the 89 establishments inspected. All but one of the 19 locations had Listeria present in non-food contact surfaces. One location did have Listeria contamination in a food contact surface, the FDA said.

In its investigation for Salmonella, only one of the production facilities had the bacteria present. It was located in the wheel of a forklift that transported ingredients from storage to the production area.

The FDA also found that of the 89 ice cream production locations it investigated, 39 were deemed “Voluntary Action Indicated,” meaning that questionable conditions or practices were being observed and required voluntary action by the ice cream producer. Another six production facilities were identified as “Official Action Indicated,” requiring official action by the FDA based on the questionable conditions or practices being used.

The six facilities that were identified as “Official Action Indicated” had Listeria present in their location. This was in addition to the FDA observing improper cleaning and sanitizing of utensils and food production equipment, unsafe food contact surfaces, failure for employees to wash their hands, sinks with holes that dipped wastewater onto the production floor, and a hose used to spray waste product into a floor drain while ingredients and food packaging went unprotected from splashing.

The investigation by the FDA lead to a facility’s suspension of ice cream production, and two ice cream recalls.