A listeria outbreak responsible for the death of one person and hospitalization of 22 people in 10 states has been linked to ice cream made in Florida, federal authorities said Saturday.
Big Olaf Creamery, a family-owned business in Sarasota, Florida, sells ice cream exclusively in Florida, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those hospitalized, 10 people lived out of state and had visited Florida in the past month, the CDC said.
The infections linked to Big Olaf ice cream products occurred in the past six months and affected people from less than a year to 92 years old, the CDC said. Five became ill during pregnancy, one of whom suffered fetal loss.
Of the 17 people interviewed by the CDC, 14 said they had consumed ice cream. Six people reported eating Big Olaf ice cream or eating ice cream at a location where the brand may have been delivered.
Big Olaf’s ice cream is made by Amish artisans at a creamery near Pinecraft, a Sarasota neighborhood, according to the company’s website.
Big Olaf began contacting retail locations Friday to advise against selling the product, the CDC said, advising customers to discard any remaining branded products. A full recall has not been issued.
Representatives from Big Olaf Creamery could not be immediately reached for comment on Sunday.
Listeria bacteria cause a disease that can be fatal. About 1,600 people in the United States contract listeriosis each year from contaminated food.
Infections can cause flu-like symptoms, including fever, muscle aches, vomiting and diarrhea, which generally begin about two weeks after ingesting food laced with the bacteria, although the onset can vary, according to the CDC. It can take months for severe cases to develop, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In the past, outbreaks of listeria have been linked to unpasteurized milk and ice cream, undercooked poultry and raw vegetables, according to the FDA. Older adults, pregnant women and newborns, and people with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to getting sick.
About one in five people with listeriosis dies, according to the CDC. The infection is especially dangerous during pregnancy, causing fetal loss in about 20 percent of cases.
The number of people affected by Listeria outbreaks is generally higher than reported, the CDC said.
