SARASOTA, Fla. — As the investigation into ice cream linked to a recent Listeria outbreak continues, new samples of ice cream tested from Big Olaf Creamery show the bacteria was found inside their product.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said product sampling taken from Big Olaf Creamery's factory found that 16 of 17 flavors tested were positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
The flavors included 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.
FDACS has issued a stop sales of the 16 products where Listeria was found. The products were already a part of a voluntary recall issued on July 12.
"Our department continues to work closely with our state and federal partners on this investigation and enforcement of the stop sale," a spokesperson for FDACS said in a statement.
In addition, there was a sample from the Big Olaf Creamery factory that state officials were awaiting results. It also turned up positive, so a total of 10 samples taken from the factory each tested positive for Listeria.
10 Tampa Bay has reached out to Big Olaf Creamery since the investigation linked back to the ice cream maker, but we have not yet received a response.
Two lawsuits have been filed, with one reportedly involving a Massachusetts woman who had a miscarriage.
As of July 13, 23 people from 10 states have become infected during this outbreak, the FDA said. The CDC said 22 of those sick had to be hospitalized. The agency was able to interview 18 of those people, and all of them said they had eaten ice cream prior to getting sick.
Of those who remembered details about the type of ice cream they ate, 10 people said they ate Big Olaf Creamery ice cream or at locations that could have served or had that brand.
Twelve people who got sick live in Florida and another nine said they traveled to the Sunshine State before getting sick.
Listeria can cause severe illness when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to other parts of the body, the CDC says. Symptoms of severe illness usually start within two weeks after consuming food contaminated with Listeria, but start the same day or as late as 70 days after.