A Big Olaf ice cream Listeria outbreak includes 23 illnesses, one death, and one fetal loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health officials have information for 22 of the patients. All 22 of them were so sick they required hospitalization. Twenty of 23 patients either live in or visited Florida before they became ill.
State and federal health officials have interviewed 17 outbreak patients about the foods they ate in the month before they developed Listeria symptoms. Fourteen said they had eaten ice cream. Six remembered eating Big Olaf ice cream or eating ice cream at locations that serve Big Olaf.
Big Olaf Creamery of Sarasota, FL has not issued a recall. Instead, the company is contacting retailers recommending that they don’t sell the ice cream.
In a statement released to media Rosie Peachy, a Big Olaf representative said: “For now it is only speculation as it is an ongoing investigation, our brand has not been confirmed to be linked to these cases, I am not sure why only Big Olaf is being mentioned and targeted. The original report we got from the Florida Department of Health on Friday July 1st, was that there are 23 cases reported, the first one reported was January 2022.[sic] 6 out of the 23 patients mentioned having consumed Big Olaf ice cream, but nothing has been proven. We have been cooperating with the Florida Department of Health, FDACS and the FDA as soon as we were informed about the situation. We have been transparent and have answered all their questions and provided them with all the information requested from us, as the health and well being of the public is our first priority.”
Big Olaf Ice Cream Listeria Outbreak
The people sickened in this outbreak, who range in age from less than 1 year old to 92 years old, either live in Florida or visited Florida before they became ill. Twelve of them are male. Five of the eleven female patients became ill during their pregnancy, one of them experienced a fetal loss.
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. Sometimes those symptoms are preceded by gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. The people sickened in this outbreak first became ill on dates ranging from January 24, 2021, through June 12, 2022. Seven of the illnesses occurred in 2021, the rest have happened this year.
Experienced Listeria Lawyers
If you developed a Listeria infection after eating Big Olaf 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.
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