SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — Several Big Olaf product samples tested positive for listeria, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced Friday.
Of the 17 flavors samples were taken from, 16 tested positive for Listeria. Those flavors were Blueberry Cheesecake, Butter Pecan, Cherry Cordial, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Coconut, Coconut Almond Joy, Cookie Dough, Cookies & Cream, Kahlua Krunch, Mint Chip, Pistachio, Plantation Praline, Superman, Vanilla, and White Chocolate Raspberry.
Because of the results, the FDACS has issued a formal stop sales order on the 16 flavors where listeria was found. It was just a voluntary recall before.
“Our department continues to work closely with our state and federal partners on this investigation and enforcement of the stop sale,” a statement from the FDACS said.
Anyone with Big Olaf ice cream is also advised to throw it away and clean any utensil or container it may have touched.
Additionally, the one environmental sample FDACS was still waiting for results on came back positive. That brought the total number of environmental samples positive for listeria to 10.
The FDACS issued a stop use order of processing equipment where listeria was found earlier this week. It effectively shut down all the processing facilities, according to the FDACS. Though Big Olaf had already done that after they issued a voluntary recall.
The FDA notified Big Olaf of an outbreak investigation by the Florida Department of Health and Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services on July 1. The company stopped the production and distribution of their ice cream that.
No complaints have been filed against Big Olaf or any of it’s retailers to the Florida Department of Health as of July 1.
The CDC reported 23 people from 10 states were infected with listeria as of July 8.
Two lawsuits have already been filed against the creamery, one for the death of an Illinois woman and one from a couple who said they lost their unborn child because of the listeria infection.
For more information about the recall, call 941-365-7483.