Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams recalls all its products over listeria fears

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams has recalled all of its ice cream products nationwide and says it’s shutting its stores temporarily over concerns about possible listeria contamination, the company announced Thursday.

The company is ceasing all sales in the United States “until all products are ensured to be 100% safe,” Jeni’s said in a statement.

The recall includes “all ice creams, frozen yogurts, sorbets, and ice cream sandwiches for all flavors and containers,” and any product bearing the Jeni’s brand name.

“Our top priority is guaranteeing the safety of all consumers by taking every possible precaution,” John Lowe, Jeni’s chief executive, said in a statement. “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.”

An employee at the Los Feliz location confirmed Thursday that the ice cream shop was closed indefinitely.

The company advised any customers who have purchased the products to throw them away or return them to the store where they were purchased for a full refund.

The Listeria monocytogenes bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, and has been known to cause miscarriages and stillbirths. Healthy adults may experience symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

The contamination was discovered after a sample randomly collected by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture tested positive for the bacteria, the company said.

So far, the company says, there have been no reports of illnesses linked to the recalled products.

The boutique ice cream purveyor started in 2002 in Columbus, Ohio’s North Market. It now has more than 20 retail locations nationwide, including one in Los Angeles’ Los Feliz neighborhood, and its products are widely available in markets like Whole Foods and Gelson’s in the Los Angeles area.

Listeria concerns have prompted a spate of food recalls recently. Earlier this week, Blue Bell Creameries expanded an ongoing recall effort, taking all of its ice cream products off the shelves in a multi-state listeria outbreak that sickened eight people. Three of those people died.

Earlier this month, Sabra Dipping Co. recalled 30,000 cases of its popular hummus dips, also because of concerns that they might be tainted with listeria.

For more breaking news, follow me @cmaiduc