Jeni’s Ice Cream in Decatur will be closed temporarily until the company can determine whether all of its products are 100% free of listeria. Here’s the release posted on the company’s website today…
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams has initiated a voluntary recall of all ice creams, frozen yogurts, sorbets, and ice cream sandwiches for all flavors and containers because of the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes. The company is ceasing all sales and closing all scoop shops until all products are ensured to be 100% safe.
Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals infected by Listeria may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, infected pregnant women can suffer miscarriages or stillbirths.
The ice creams, frozen yogurts, sorbets, and ice cream sandwiches being recalled were distributed in the United States to retail outlets, including food service accounts and grocery markets, as well as online at jenis.com. This recall includes all products bearing the “Jeni’s” brand name.
The contamination was discovered in a sample randomly collected by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is not aware of any illness reports to date related to the recalled products. However, out of an abundance of caution, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is taking this voluntary precautionary measure in order to ensure complete consumer safety. “Our top priority is guaranteeing the safety of all consumers by taking every possible precaution,” says John Lowe, CEO of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.
“We have decided to recall everything currently on retailer shelves, and we are closing our scoop shops until we are 100% confident every item we sell is safe. We have called in experts to help us find the root cause. We will be working with our suppliers to determine if the bacteria was introduced by one of the ingredients we use. We will not reopen the kitchen until we can ensure the safety of our customers.”
Customers who have purchased any of the products are urged to dispose of them or return them to the store where they were purchased for an exchange or full refund, and consult with their physician regarding any medical questions. Customers may also contact Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at 614-360-3905 between the hours of 9 am and 10 pm (E.D.T.) on April 23 and 24, from 9 am to 5 pm (E.D.T.) on April 25 and 26, and from 9 am to 5 pm (E.D.T.) on Mondays through Fridays thereafter. Jeni’s can also be contacted by email at [email protected], and at jenis.com/recall.
Photo courtesy of Jeni’s Decatur Square website
I assumed this was coming. I get news from Charleston SC too and the Jeni’s location there sent a similar notice out this morning.
I guess they share some ingredient that Blue Bell also uses since they’ve also recalled all of their products due to listeria issues, and I wonder which ice cream companies will be pulling their items in the near future?
Butter and Cream is just around the corner on Church Street. They make their own delicious ice cream so wouldn’t be involved with whatever Listeria contamination is going on with Blue Bell and Jeni’s.
Not so if it’s the milk.
I haven’t heard that the contamination has affected anything other than Blue Bell so I don’t think it’s a widespread milk contamination issue but something confined to Blue Bell. Others may know more.
According to the article above, Jeni’s has been affected.
“The contamination was discovered in a sample randomly collected by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.”
The Jeni’s product that was found to be contaminated came from one of its two Ohio production facilities. I’m pretty sure that all their base mixes come from Ohio though they may be churned and frozen locally. They pride themselves on using only milk from grass fed cows, which is easier to control when you only buy from one or two dairies.
I’m going to Butter and Cream. Safer and tastes better! And locally made to boot!!!
Is Butter and Cream also locally owned?
Yes
I LOVE Butter & Cream! Locally owned and locally sourced ingredients; made in-house/on-site! And the owner is a really sweet person (employees too).
This is what happens when we bulldoze a perfectly good Dairy Queen.
This reminds me that my two favorite liberals, after my wife, are Ben and Jerry which makes Hop N Shop my most frequented ice cream shop.
I couldn’t help but giggle at Chris Christie eating Ben & Jerry’s on the Tonight Show and still coming off like an arrogant bully.
I think Christie must suffer from multiple personality disorder. I can’t figure that dude out.
I like Butter & Cream, but I like Jeni’s better–but neither one of them can touch Morelli’s! As for whether B&C is safer, well–can anyone really be certain when it comes to food production these days? I appreciate that B&C is locally-owned, but the Jeni’s here in Decatur employs local folks, and is a part of our community, too.
Unlike many businesses (especially Big Food), who deny, stall, & try to cover up anything negative about their products until they absolutely have to tell the truth, Jeni’s was proactive and very public in taking drastic steps–which will no doubt cost them dearly–to protect their customers. I appreciate that, and when they return, they will most certainly have my business again.
Agree that Jeni’s and Blue Bell have handled this well. I was a fan of Butter and Cream even before this event so I am not dissing Jeni’s at all. I was going to try it once but there was a huge line and the flavor choices were too complex for me. I like simple flavors like vanilla, chocolate, peach, maple walnut, coffee, etc. And once I like something, I’m change adverse whether it be ice cream, Westchester, or Decatur real estate.
There was an NPR story this morning that said Blue Bell actually did do the deny deny deny before the finally changed tune with massive recall and media trained PR.
When three people die from eating your product, it’s hard to ignore.