Florida ice cream blamed for outbreak

A listeria outbreak blamed for the death of one person and the hospitalization of 22 people across 10 states has been linked to ice cream made in Florida, federal authorities said.

Big Olaf Creamery, a family-owned company in Sarasota, Fla., exclusively sells ice cream in Florida, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday. Of those hospitalized, 10 people lived out of state and had visited Florida in the previous month, the agency said.

The infections tied to Big Olaf ice cream products occurred over the last six months and affected people less than a year old to 92 years old, the CDC said. Five became ill during pregnancy, with one experiencing a fetal loss.

Of 17 people interviewed by the federal agency, 14 said they had consumed ice cream. Six people reported eating ice cream made by Big Olaf or having ice cream at a location where the brand might have been supplied.

The company began contacting retail locations Friday to recommend against selling the product, said the CDC, which advised customers to discard any remaining products from the brand. A full recall has not been issued.

Big Olaf Creamery representatives were not immediately available for comment Sunday.

About 1,600 people contract listeriosis in the U.S. each year from contaminated food.

Infections can cause flu-like symptoms, including fever, muscle aches, puking and diarrhea, which generally begin roughly two weeks after ingesting food laced with the bacteria, although the onset can vary, the CDC said.

About 1 in 5 people with listeriosis die, according to the CDC.