With Listeria again rearing its ugly head in several U.S. states, the latest victim is none other than Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.
Barely three weeks after it re-opened on May 13, Jeni's has halted production in its Ohio plant owing to Listeria. The ice cream maker has also closed its scoop shops a second time round due to the outbreak.
The company's CEO John Lowe said that Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams stopped production earlier this week and that the stores would be temporarily closed as there was no ample stock of ice cream.
"We are closing our scoop shops temporarily because we don't have enough ice cream to keep them stocked. After we eradicate the Listeria and have thoroughly tested the facility, we will restart making ice cream. Sometime thereafter we'll announce a date when our shops will reopen," said Lowe in a blog post.
The company discovered the presence of Listeria in its production facility through its routine testing and is investigating how it has entered its facility again.
Earlier in April, the ice cream maker said that it found Listeria in its production kitchen a month and a half after it got completely rid of over 265 tons of products when Listeria was found in a pint of its dark chocolate ice cream.
The company recalled several products at the time, which included frozen yogurt, ice cream, and sorbet after its products tested positive for the bacteria.
All of Jeni's scoop shops were closed for nearly a month as the company spent over $200,000 to remodel the production plant. The ice cream maker also ensured the implementation of new testing standards, employee training and new program for ice cream preparation.
According to the CDC, Listeria monocytogenes can be fatal and cause infections in elderly, newborn children and people with weak immune systems. Affected individuals may suffer from symptoms such as nausea, headaches, high fever and diarrhea.
For those worried about consuming ice cream from Jeni's after it re-opened, all ice cream served until May 22 was Listeria-free since all the products were tested before being shipped.
It is not known when Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams will resume production at its facilities or re-open its stores.
Photo: Bob Hall | Flickr
