SARASOTA, FLA. – A listeria outbreak that has sickened 23, hospitalized 22 and caused one death has been linked to Big Olaf Creamery, Sarasota, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta. A recall has not been initiated, but the company is contacting retail customers and recommending against selling Big Olaf’s ice cream products.

A cluster of 16 illnesses occurred between January 2022 and June, but other cases occurred in September, October and November 2021 as well as in January, February and May, the CDC said. A majority of cases occurred in Florida, but others have been reported in nine other states. The CDC said the cases outside of Florida were from people who had recently visited the state and then traveled home.

The investigation is ongoing, and public health officials continue to interview people about the foods they ate in the month before they became sick. The CDC said of 17 people interviewed, 14 reported eating ice cream. Among that group, six reported eating Big Olaf Creamery brand ice cream or eating ice cream at locations that may have been supplied by the company.