FDA pulls Friendly’s Ice Cream pulled from shelves

Ice cream lovers may have more than a meltdown.

Friendly’s Ice Cream has recalled one of its most popular flavors after a packaging mix up sparking an allergy risk warning from the Food and Drug Administration, which who said it could cause “a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction.”

DFA Dairy Brands, LLC, voluntarily pulled 324 cartons of its 48-fluid-ounce Friendly’s Cookies & Cream ice cream from stores after they were packaged in Vanilla Bean containers but topped with Cookies & Cream lids, the FDA said.

The Vanilla Bean flavor does not contain soy or wheat, which are present in Cookies & Cream. Therefore, the Vanilla Bean cartons don’t list those ingredients, according to the FDA.

“For many people, a reaction to soy or wheat usually means abdominal pain, but you could get a rash, or less commonly, asthma-like symptoms,” said Dr. Joseph Raduazzo, an internal medicine specialist in Massachusetts.

“For people with a severe allergy to soy or wheat, the reaction could be life-threatening, similar to when people with peanut allergies come into contact with the nut.”

No illnesses or adverse reactions have been reported due to the mispackaging, according to the FDA website.

The recalled ice cream was distributed through a single distribution center, UNFI, to retail stores in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, the agency said.

No other Friendly’s products were included, a recorded message on a Friendly’s consumer hotline said.

Last month, Florida-based Rich’s Ice Cream recalled over 100,000 ice cream bars in 23 states – including New York and Pennsylvania – due to listeria concerns.

The voluntary removal from the market was one of the largest ice cream recalls in recent history.