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Nearly 18,000 tubs of ice cream have been recalled across the United States due to the presence of plastic shards, posing a choking hazard. Wells Enterprises, the manufacturer behind brands like Blue Bunny and Halo Top, initiated the recall after discovering the contamination in their three-gallon tubs sold to restaurants and cafeterias. The recall does not affect grocery store products.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classified the recall as Class II, indicating that consuming the ice cream could cause reversible health problems. No injuries or illnesses have been reported so far. The affected flavors include chocolate, vanilla, rocky road, and cotton candy, with vanilla frozen yogurt being the most recalled flavor. The ice cream was distributed to over 100 centers nationwide, impacting a significant number of states.
The FDA and Wells Enterprises have notified businesses about the recall via email, advising them to discard the affected products and contact the seller for a refund. The contamination likely occurred during the manufacturing process, possibly due to a fault in equipment or packaging.
Professor Byron D. Chaves from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln explained to Newsweek that such contamination can occur during blending or when adding toppings. He emphasized the importance of strict equipment checks and packaging control to prevent similar incidents.
Wells Enterprises is the third-largest ice cream manufacturer in the U.S., following Unilever and Nestlé. This recall serves as a reminder of the importance of quality control in the food industry to maintain consumer trust and safety. The recall remains ongoing, and consumers are urged to check batch codes and remove any affected inventory from circulation.