Following a June recall of more than 60 ice cream products across 13 brands due to possible listeria contamination, health officials are once again urging consumers not to eat another chilled summer treat. On July 1, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company Leona’s Ice Cream recalled its Strawberry Pretzel Salad sandwiches, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) setting the highest risk level amid concerns that consumption of the products could be life-threatening to some consumers.
The FDA has given the recall a Class I classification, indicating “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.” The recalled ice cream sandwiches, according to the notice, “has cross contamination with peanuts, an ingredient known to be the most common cause of food-induced anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that narrows the airways and can block breathing, per the Mayo Clinic.
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The recall is limited in scale, impacting approximately 136 individually wrapped, 6 oz. sandwiches, which were distributed to stores in the state of Pennsylvania since June 25, the company said. The recalled Leona’s Ice Cream Strawberry Pretzel Salad sandwiches have the code 17224 on them. The complete list of locations where the recalled products were sold can be found here.
The company announced the recall with “a heavy heart” to customers in a statement shared to its social media accounts on July 1, sharing that they were “pulling all of last weeks deliveries of Strawberry Pretzel Salad from store shelves due to a possible cross-contamination with peanuts.” The company noted that “this is the first time in 11 years something like this has happened,” and promised to “work tirelessly to ensure it doesn’t ever happen again.”
“We have strict nut allergen protocols and it was human error. We have already instituted more detailed protocols for any allergen products in our production and manufacturing,” the statement continued. “We are so careful to prevent cross contamination in our small company but we were clearly not careful enough this time. We are so deeply sorry that what should have been a joyful act of eating ice cream could turn into something scary. Please accept our apologies.”
The company is urging anyone who purchased the recalled Strawberry Pretzel Salad ice cream sandwiches to “please discard” them. Customers can contact the company at info@leonaspgh.com for a replacement product.
