CHICAGO — Chicago's Jeni's Ice Cream shops closed Thursday after the company recalled all of its products due to listeria contamination.
In a statement on its website, Jeni's CEO John Lowe said no illnesses have been linked to Jeni's products, but that they were removing all "ice creams, frozen yogurts, sorbets, and ice cream sandwiches" from store shelves in the United States and closing all shops until "all products are ensured to be 100 perecent safe."
Jeni's has shops in Lakeview, at 3403 N. Southport, and in Wicker Park at 1505 N. Milwaukee Ave. Pints of the Ohio-based company's ice cream are sold at Whole Foods, Mariano's and specialty grocers throughout the city.
A sign on the window of the Wicker Park Jeni's location Thursday. (DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser)
Listeria is an organism that can cause serious and fatal infections in kids, the elderly or people with weakened immune systems. Healthy people infected with listeria may experience high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. It could cause miscarriages in pregnant women.
The recall comes after Blue Bell Creameries, the country’s third-largest ice cream brand, decided to recall all of its ice cream and other products Monday due to listeria contamination, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said had led to three deaths and 10 infections since 2010.
It's still unclear how Blue Bell's products became contaminated, and Jeni's didn't have answers either.
According to a news release from Jeni's, contamination was discovered in a sample randomly collected by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.
"We have called in experts to help us find the root cause," Jeni's said in a statement. "We will be working with our suppliers to determine if the bacteria was introduced by one of the ingredients we use. We will not reopen the kitchen until we can ensure the safety of our customers.”
Anyone who has purchased Jeni's products is asked to dispose of them or exchange them to the store they purchased them from for a full refund. Click here for more information.
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