The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the national food regulatory body, has issued an alert over the presence of the bacterium listeria monocytogenes’ in US-based Blue Bell Creameries’ ice cream and other frozen products.
Blue Bell recently voluntarily recalled the products after its two half-gallon containers of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, manufactured on March 17 and 27 this year, tested positive for listeria.
listeriosis is a rare but serious illness caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium listeria Monocytogenes. listeriosis can be fatal, especially in certain higher risk groups which include the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
A senior official from the top food regulator said that though, the recalled products are not being sold in India, these products may be available online. The advisory has been issued as a precautionary measure as people might be ordering the product through e-platform.
The symptoms of listeria infection include gastrointestinal distress, muscle aches and fever. “The product has already been recalled in the USA. Though these are not sold in India, it might be possible that these might be available through online marketing,” said P Karthikeyan, FSSAI Assistant Director (regulations).
Blue Bell Creameries has said that that it had removed the affected ice cream products from the market by picking it up directly from the retailers and hospital settings it serves. The company has also shut down the production line where the products were made.