Peninsula Daily News and news sources
PORT TOWNSEND — A widespread recall of dairy products because of possible listeria contamination has caused a local ice cream manufacturer to destroy about 1,300 pounds of ice cream.
Elevated Ice Cream, 631 Water St., received the recall notice Tuesday, which forced it to dispose of all of dairy based inventory from Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream.
The Snohomish company, which supplied Elevated with the base for its locally made ice cream products, issued on Tuesday the voluntary recall of nearly a year’s worth of ice cream and related products because of possible listeria contamination.
State health officials said two illnesses have been linked to the products recalled by the company.
Elevated was open today selling Italian ices, a non-dairy product it also manufactures, according to co-owner David McCulloch.
The store will open at its regular time of 10 a.m. Friday but will offer Italian ices instead of ice cream. The store is closed Thursday.
McCulloch said the store has already secured ice cream base from another supplier, and ice cream will be available starting Saturday on a limited basis with about six standard flavors.
Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream will be out of commission for several days but is expected to get a clean bill of health soon, after which time Elevated will continue purchasing from the company, McCulloch said.
Anyone who has purchased ice cream from Elevated that has not been consumed should dispose of it or return it for a refund, McCulloch said.
State Health Department spokesman Donn Moyer said two men in King County were hospitalized after eating products made by Snoqualmie.
Both are in their 50s and have underlying medical conditions. They are recovering out of the hospital.
The recall covers products made from Jan. 1 until Dec. 15.
Products include all flavors and sizes of ice cream, gelato, custard and sorbet, as well as Emerald & Spruce Ice Cream and Top Pot Hand Forged Ice Cream.
The company said listeria was found in samples from its production facility that were analyzed by the state Agriculture Department.
The company said it is working with the state and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine the cause.
The products were distributed in Arizona, Idaho, California, Oregon and Washington and may have been further distributed in Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
Listeria can cause serious illness and even death in groups such as children, the frail and the elderly.
Healthy people may suffer flu-like symptoms, such as high fever, headache, nausea and diarrhea.
