Florida’s Big Olaf ice cream listeria outbreak is over, CDC says. How many got sick? 

Federal agencies have closed their investigation of a deadly listeria outbreak stemming from Sarasota ice cream maker Big Olaf Creamery.

On Wednesday, the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention declared the outbreak over.

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that can be carried in food products and cause mild to serious illness. Serious infections, called listeriosis, can lead to hospitalization, miscarriages and death.

In all, the outbreak is known to have sickened 28 people — an increase of three since the CDC’s last update in August. They include one death. Seven of the illnesses were among pregnant women or newborns, including one lost pregnancy.

Lawsuits have been filed on behalf of two alleged victims of the outbreak: a 79-year-old Illinois woman who died and a Massachusetts woman who lost her lost pregnancy.

The 28 reported illnesses happened between January 2021 and August 2022, the CDC said.

“The true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” the CDC said on Wednesday. “This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.”

Big Olaf ice cream was made a central production facility in Sarasota, and the ice cream then distributed to independently owned retailers around Sarasota, Bradenton and throughout Florida.

The CDC warned consumers to throw away Big Olaf ice cream product on July 2 after an epidemiological investigation linked the outbreak to the ice cream.

But after the CDC’s initial warning, the Big Olaf production company cast doubt on the investigation in social media posts, and chose not to issue a voluntary recall until 11 days later on July 13 — the same day that state tests from Big Olaf’s Sarasota production facility came back positive for listeria.

Several of the independent retailers also continued to serve ice cream in days following the CDC’s announcement before the product was eventually pulled.

On July 13, the company voluntarily stopped production at its Sarasota facility, while the state simultaneously issued an order for sales of the ice cream to stop.

The investigation of the listeria outbreak included interviews with those who reported infections and laboratory tests of Big Olaf ice cream product and environmental samples from its production facility. Health officials also used whole genome sequencing to narrow in on the specific strain of listeria behind the outbreak and trace it back to Big Olaf products.

A list of recent and current listeria outbreaks can be found on the CDC’s website at https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/outbreaks/lists/outbreaks-list.html.

This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Florida’s Big Olaf ice cream listeria outbreak is over, CDC says. How many got sick? ."