A California ice cream company, Dr. Bob's, closed it operations after FDA recall notices were issued by companies for which Dr. Bob's copacked. The initial recall was issued November 4th after FDA found Listeria in the product and in the production facility.
The company, owned by a former dean for the Hospitality Management Program at Cal Poly, is located at a fairground in California.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
http://www.dailybulletin.com/business/20161117/dr-bobs-ice-cream-company-closes-after-fda-recalls
Dr. Bob’s ice cream company closes after FDA recalls
By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 11/17/16, 6:05 PM PST | Updated: 7 hrs ago
POMONA >> Dr. Bob’s Handcrafted Ice Cream has shut down operations after the Food and Drug Administration recently issued several recalls for listeria-contaminated ice cream made at its Pomona facility.
Leasing space on the Fairplex property, Dr. Bob’s makes its own line of flavors, which has mesmerized foodies with ingredients such as Scharffen Berger brand chocolate and strawberry, sour cream and brown sugar, as well as ice cream for several other high-end brands, including famous Los Angeles chef Nancy Silverton’s Nancy’s Fancy and Chatsworth-based L.A. Creamery Artisan Ice Cream.
Sold in stores, Dr. Bob’s was also available for sale at the Pomona Fairplex, 1101 W McKinley Ave. Yelp and Google both still list the company as open during its regular business hours, but the company’s website and Facebook page have disappeared.
A trip to the fairgrounds Thursday found the storefront and kitchen closed.
In a brief phone interview Thursday, owner Robert Small said Dr. Bob’s closed three weeks ago because of “business complications.” He declined to go into detail or connect the closure to the recalls.
“We made the decision on our own to close, and we’re hoping under new ownership it will open again,” Small said.
So far, four California-based ice cream companies based in Los Angeles, Anaheim, Santa Barbara and Palos Verdes Peninsula, have been served FDA recall notices for their products produced at Dr. Bob’s Pomona kitchen, according to notices by the federal food safety agency. It has recalled:
• On Nov. 2, AC Creamery of Anaheim — “Manila Sky Purple Yum”
• On Nov. 4, McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams of Santa Barbara — seven flavors (mint chip, peppermint stick, salted caramel chip, sweet cream, Turkish coffee, vanilla bean and Dutchman’s chocolate) sold in pint-sized containers
• On Nov. 9, ISB Food Group of Los Angeles — Nancy’s Fancy butterscotch Budino gelato and Nancy’s Fancy peanut butter with crunchy peanuts gelato with expiration dates of March 18, 2017
• On Nov. 9, ISB Food Group — L.A. Creamery honeycomb ice cream and L.A. Creamery salted caramel ice cream with expiration dates of March 18, 2017
• On Nov. 10, Agave Dream, of Palos Verdes Peninsula — chocolate, lavender, vanilla, chocolate chip and cappuccino
Small said it was in communication with all the companies that contract it.
“We’ve been working with the FDA in dealing with this issue on a current basis,” Small said, adding that’s all he could say.
Samples the FDA scrutinized tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria are bacteria that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, according to the FDA recall notices.
Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms — such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea — listeria infections can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women, according to the FDA.
Not all of the ice cream made by companies that contracted at Dr. Bob’s comes from Dr. Bob’s. Consumers can check to make sure at www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls.
Representatives for the Los Angeles County Public Health department and the affected ice cream companies could not be immediately reached for comment.
Dr. Bob’s is currently in a private and confidential lease agreement with the Pomona Fairplex, according to Fairplex spokeswoman Renee Hernandez.
“As for the health concerns, we do not have any information as to the Dr. Bob’s issue except to know that they are not operating at this time,” Hernandez said in an email.
As far as the listeria, “this issue solely pertains to Dr. Bob’s Ice Cream. … Fairplex does not have any health department or food production concerns or issues in any of our businesses or operations and has had no notification of any concern with any of our operations.”
Dr. Bob’s opened its facility at Pomona Fairplex in 1999. Small is indeed a doctor, or rather, holds a doctorate and was a professor and dean of the Hospitality Management Program at Cal Poly, Pomona.
Additional recalls
ISB Food Group, LLC Recalls L.A. Creamery Honeycomb Ice Cream And L.A. Creamery Salted Caramel Ice Cream With Expiration Dates Of March 18, 2017 Because Of Possible Health Risk - Link
ISB Food Group, LLC Recalls Nancy’s Fancy Butterscotch Budino Gelato And Nancy’s Fancy Peanut Butter With Crunchy Peanuts Gelato With Expiration Dates Of March 18, 2017 Because Of Possible Health Risk Link
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