Months after Royal Ice Cream issued a Listeria recall, the FDA still harbors concerns about the conditions inside Royal’s Manchester, CT manufacturing facility and spelled them out them in a recent warning letter to the company.
On February 4, the company issued a Listeria recall for three flavors of Batch ice cream for Listeria; ginger, vanilla, and mocha chip). One week later, the company expanded the recall to include all products manufactured at the facility. The expanded recall included pints, cakes, sandwiches, specialty items, and 2.5-gallon and 3-gallon tubs sold under 14 brand names:
- Batch
- Royal
- Ronny Brook
- New Orleans
- Maple Valley
- Art Cream
- Sweet Scoops
- Gelato Fiasco
- Newport Creamery
- Dough Wich
- Doris Italian Markets
- Highland Park Market
- Labriola’s Italian Stores
- Newport Creamery
- Dough Wich
- Doris Italian Markets
- Highland Park Market
- Labriola’s Italian Stores
The recalled ice cream was sold nationwide at stores including Big Y, Hannaford, Market Basket, Roche Bros., Stop & Shop, and Whole Foods.
Did you develop listeriosis from contaminated ice cream?
Symptoms of a Listeria infection can take as long as 70 days to develop. They include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, other muscle stiffness, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. Among pregnant women, Listeria can cause miscarriage and stillbirth.
The Warning Letter
In a warning letter issued to the company in July but only made public days ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that the company did not adequately address serious violations found at the facility during an inspection from January 19 – February 22, including the presence of Listeria.
After the FDA found Listeria at the plant and the company issued a recall, production was halted from February 8, 2022, to April 13, 2022. During this time Royal Ice Cream was supposed to have:
- Performed corrective actions including a root cause analysis
- Executed an intensified cleaning and sanitization of the production area
- Increased verification swabbing and finished product sampling
- Hired a food safety consultant
- Conducted a refresher training for employees
But, according to the FDA, “Although [the company] provided a revised written hazard analysis on March 2, 2022, it is our understanding, after subsequent communication with your firm, that you are still working to further revise your written hazard analysis and other components of your food safety plan including your sanitation preventive controls procedures
Given the history and current inspection findings, we continue to be concerned about your ability to maintain a sanitary environment,” the letter states. “We will verify the effectiveness of your corrective actions and your ability to maintain a sanitary environment during our next inspection.”
Experienced Listeria Lawyers
If you developed a Listeria infection after eating ice cream and would like to discuss your legal options, please contact our Listeria lawyers. Our Food Safety Team has more experience handling Listeria lawsuits than any other law firm in the country securing some of the largest Listeria settlements in U.S. history including a recent award of $6.4 million.
You can reach us by calling 1-888-377-8900, sending a text to 612-261-0856, or completing the form below. There is no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.
