Listeria and salmonella found at 20% of US ice cream facilities, FDA report reveals
- FDA inspectors found listeria in 19 of the plants (21 percent), and salmonella in one
- More than half of the facilities (45) had ‘objectionable’ cleanliness practices
- Six of them were singled out for extremely unsanitary practices
- The findings prompted three voluntary recalls, the FDA said
US health officials have found dangerous bacteria in ice cream samples at 21 percent of manufacturers across the country, a new report reveals.
Inspectors for the Food and Drug Administration visited 89 facilities in 32 states in 2016 and 2017 – accounting for one in six of the nation’s providers.
The investigation was prompted by a nationwide listeria outbreak linked to ice cream in 2015 killed three people and hospitalized 10.
Germs were more widespread than they’d expected: they found listeria in 19 of the plants (21 percent), and salmonella in one.
Many ice cream facilities across the US were found to have bacteria in samples of their food
More than half of the facilities (45) had ‘objectionable’ cleanliness practices.
Six of them were singled out for extremely unsanitary practices, with employees spraying waste from surfaces and floor without protecting the food, and some not washing their hands.
The findings prompted three voluntary recalls, the FDA said.
‘These activities help the FDA gather data and information necessary to develop prevention-based systems and, when contamination does occur, to respond swiftly to these hazards,’ Frank Yiannas, FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, said in a statement.