Wells Enterprises has reportedly recalled over 17,000 gallons of ice cream and frozen yogurt products due to potential plastic contamination.
The Iowa-based maker of Blue Bunny and Halo Top announced a voluntary recall of 22 ice cream and frozen yogurt products after discovering hard plastic fragments in more than 17,000 three-gallon tubs.
This recall affects products distributed to 103 locations nationwide, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified it as Class II, according to Food Safety News.
The FDA states on its website that a Class II recall is a “situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”
This potential contamination affected a wide range of flavors, with the most frequently affected being Vanilla Frozen Yogurt and various vanilla-flavored ice creams.
At the time of writing, no illnesses or injuries have been reported due to the recalled items.
It remains unclear how the plastic contaminated the ice cream, though Byron D. Chaves, a professor at the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said multiple points could have occurred.
“Making ice cream at an industrial scale involves several steps, such as blending and adding inclusions, like toppings, during which foreign material contamination can occur,” he said to Newsweek.
“Hard plastic, for example, may originate from ingredients like toppings or from utensils such as mixing paddles. Such incidents can indicate a breach in supplier controls and good manufacturing practices. In rare cases, packaging materials may be the source.”
Wells Enterprises has notified all distribution centers to remove the affected products from circulation, and consumers who have purchased the recalled items are advised not to consume them.
Consumers are advised to either return the products for a refund or dispose of them.
The full list of recalled items is available to view here.