FDA Publishes Recall of a Batch of Coffee and Vanilla Ice Cream Sold in Nine States and Washington, D.C. Over Listeria monocytogenes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published on October 17, 2026 the voluntary recall notice for a batch of coffee and vanilla ice cream with coffee sauce and cookie pieces, in 16-fluid-ounce (one pint) containers, due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The recall was announced on October 16 by the supermarket chain that sells the product. According to the notice, it was initiated after a routine quality control check identified the bacterium in a laboratory sample. No associated illnesses have been reported to date.

The affected product corresponds to batch 085261, with a best-before date of March 26, 2028, printed on the bottom of a clear plastic container with a brown lid. It was distributed between July 19 and October 15, 2026 to all of the chain's stores in Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Consumers are asked to discard it or return it to the store for a full refund, with no receipt required. The notice points out that the bacterium can cause serious and even fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and people with weakened immune systems, as well as miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.

Ice cream is a ready-to-eat food in which pasteurization of the mix does not protect against later contamination. Listeria monocytogenes can reach the product from the environment of the freezing and filling line or with ingredients added after heat treatment, such as sauces and cookie pieces, and it survives freezing. Although it does not multiply at freezer temperature, the long shelf life of ice cream, with a best-before date in 2028, means that the product may remain in homes long after it was sold. Outbreaks of listeriosis linked to ice cream have been documented in the United States, so the industry treats this bacterium as a primary hazard in its control plans.

For ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturers, the case reinforces environmental monitoring for Listeria in post-pasteurization areas, verification of ingredients added cold and testing of the finished product before releasing each batch. TAAG's Ampliora 3.2 kit detects Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 by real-time PCR, and its validated matrices include dairy, ready-to-eat foods and surfaces, so it fits that control. Ice cream with sauce and cookie pieces is not named as a specific matrix, and presumptive results must be confirmed with the reference method.