Ice Cream Recall Update As FDA Sets Risk Level

More than 13,000 tubs of ice cream have been recalled as they may contain “foreign objects.”

Utah-based Casper’s Ice Cream Inc has voluntarily recalled one of its products after two tubs were discovered to contain fragments of rubber. The recall, first issued on June 6 this year, has now been classified as a Class II risk by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Under the FDA’s definition, 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.”

The following product is subject to the recall:

• Red Button Vintage Creamery Cookie Dough Ice Cream, bearing a lot number of 092-24-568 and UPC of 0 77865 01008 6.

It was distributed in eight U.S. states only: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.

According to the FDA, “hard or sharp foreign objects in food may cause traumatic injury including laceration and perforation of tissues of the mouth, tongue, throat, stomach and intestine as well as damage to the teeth and gums.”

However, it reports that foreign objects like plastic, bone, or metal that are less than 7mm “rarely cause trauma or serious injury except in special risk groups such as infants, surgery patients, and the elderly.”

The FDA classification notice says that only two tubs of the ice cream product were found to contain rubber, and does not say how large the fragments were. Newsweek has contacted Casper’s Ice Cream Inc for comment and clarification via the contact form on its website outside of normal working hours.

There are three levels of classification awarded to products recalled in conjunction with the FDA, with a Class II being the second most serious type of recall.

A Class I recall is issued when there is a “reasonable probability” that the use of, or exposure to, a product could “cause serious adverse health consequences or death.” A Class III is awarded when “a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.”

The Casper’s Ice Cream is not the only product to be recalled over fears it may contain unwanted fragments of non-edible materials. In early June, H-E-B announced it was recalling a potato salad product due to the presence of hard plastics.

More recently, dog treats sold under the “Barkworthies” and “Best Bully Sticks” brand labels were recalled due to the potential presence of “metal objects.”