Ice cream urgently recalled in 17 states over fears of contamination with dangerous metal

A popular ice cream brand is being recalled in more than a dozen states over fears the cartons are contaminated with sharp fragments that could cause injury.

California-based Straus Family Creamery issued a recall for certain flavors and sizes of its organic desserts due to the potential presence of foreign metal material.

No injuries have been reported in relation to the recall, but the company said it 'is taking this action out of an abundance of caution and has implemented appropriate corrective actions.'

It is working with retailers that stock its Organic Ice Cream to remove cartons from shelves and the company will provide vouchers for a free replacement product.

The FDA is urging Americans who have purchased the desserts to discard them.

The recall applies to six products of varying flavors in pint and quart sizes with best-by dates of December 23, 2026, through December 30, 2026.

The recalled ice cream was available for purchase beginning May 4 in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

The flavors include vanilla bean, strawberry, cookie dough, Dutch chocolate and mint chip.

It is not known how the metal fragments ended up in the ice cream, but in previous similar recalls, this has been a result of manufacturing equipment malfunction.

In addition to potentially being dirty and contaminated with bacteria, the metal fragments pose a choking hazard to consumers.

The metal scraps may also cut the mouth, throat, stomach and intestine of those accidentally ingesting and swallowing them.

The metal may be sharp enough to cause minor or major cuts, as well as lead to internal injuries and bleeding.

Depending on the size of the fragments, an intestinal blockage is also possible.

In a similar recall from February, rice and ramen products were recalled nationwide due to glass shards.

Nearly 37 million pounds of fried rice, ramen, and dumplings sold under popular brand names, including Kroger and Trader Joe’s, were affected due to concerns about glass fragments lurking in the products.

Portland, Oregon-based Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc expanded the recall earlier this month to include nearly 36,987,575 pounds of chicken and pork fried rice, ramen, and shu mai dumpling products after at least four customers reported finding shards of glass in their food.

The USDA labeled it with its most urgent classification, Class I, meaning there is a ‘reasonable probability’ of ‘serious, adverse health consequences or death.’