Dive Brief:
- Dr. Bob’s, a California ice cream manufacturer and co-packer, has shut down operations following reports that federal inspectors identified listeria in the company's production facility and finished products, Food Safety News reported.
- As of Thursday, both the website and Facebook page for Dr. Bob’s were officially unavailable.
- Dr. Bob's owner Robert Small hinted to reporters that the facility could reopen under new ownership but did not provide a time frame, according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
Dive Insight:
Dr. Bob's could easily be called a premium ice cream brand, with six-packs of 1-pint ice cream products selling between $115 and $150. However, while consumers may consider higher-priced and "premium" brands as being inherently safer from pathogen contaminations, the current scenario shows that is not the case.
Not only will consumers not be able to purchase Dr. Bob's branded products, but they may also have to scramble to acquire non-recalled varieties of other brands that Dr. Bob's had co-packed at its contaminated facility. The U.S. Food Drug and Administration has already announced recalls from four of the company's corporate customers.
But besides what the FDA and Dr. Bob's have publicly disclosed as of yet, one brand has still yet to be named, with the agency claiming "corporate confidentiality laws" once again, according to Food Safety News. The FDA's citation of "corporate confidentiality" to protect food and beverage brands and their suppliers could become problematic. If the agency waits too long, consumers could become sick, which is worse for both the brand and the FDA in terms of perceptions of the agency's ability to protect Americans' safety.