Thanks to the increase in foodborne illnesses this year, many have learned the hard way about the dangers of not washing foods like lettuce and melons before eating them. But harmful bacteria and parasites don’t just stop at your healthy staples: If you’re not careful, they could also affect your favorite dessert. While you can usually safely dip your spoon into your bowl of ice cream, a common mistake could land you in a serious case of food poisoning.
How does melted ice cause food poisoning?
Eating a few scoops of ice cream straight from the freezer is no big deal, but something as simple and seemingly harmless as letting your tub sit on the counter could really take a toll on your health. “Ice cream melts quite quickly at room temperature, and the milky, sweet liquid concoction is a perfect petri dish for bacteria like Listeria,” writes Amreen Bashir, PhD, senior lecturer in biomedical sciences at Aston University, in The Conversation. This means that the next time you settle in for a night of Netflix and relaxing treats, enjoying your favorite pint, even if it’s been refrozen, you could prepare yourself for days of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or worse since the freezer temperatures won’t kill the already existing bacteria.
Besides eating melted (and refrozen) ice cream, contamination can occur before it even enters your refrigerator, including during manufacturing, shipping, or even preparing it at home using potentially dangerous ingredients.
Why is ice cream prone to bacteria and food poisoning?
Eggs
According to the FDA, commercially manufactured ice cream containing egg products may be susceptible to Salmonella infection. If a product is manufactured without pasteurized eggs or if the final product is not pasteurized (that is, has not undergone heat treatment to destroy disease-causing microorganisms), this can lead to foodborne illnesses.
Milk/Cream
Additionally, milk, which has a high propensity to spoil and is also the base of most dairy-based ice creams, can also be a vector for bacterial contamination such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria.
What are the symptoms of ice cream food poisoning?
Symptoms of food poisoning from ice cream include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps, usually beginning 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated food, the FDA says. Additionally, the infection can last between four and seven days on average. Although most people recover without any treatment, people who are at high risk, have worsening symptoms, or have weakened immune systems should seek medical attention. And if you do get sick, here’s what to eat when you’re recovering from food poisoning.
How to avoid food poisoning from ice cream?
- Avoid double-dipping in a tub of ice cream.
- Scoop up your ice cream with clean utensils.
- If your ice cream melts or thaws completely, throw it away.
- Keep ice cream frozen at all times.
- Avoid ice cream with unpasteurized ingredients (like eggs or milk).
- If you make ice cream at home, be sure to use unpasteurized products.
So how can you make sure you don’t get sick without having to give up your favorite summer dessert? Dr. Bashir says the best option is obviously to put the ice cream back in the freezer after filling your bowl to make sure it doesn’t have time to melt, and to never double-dip it. If it is no longer frozen, throw it away.
How do you know if ice cream has been refrozen?
And if you find yourself in the freezer aisle at the grocery store, nose pressed against the glass covering the ice cream, wondering if your favorite pint has in fact ever been refrozen, there’s an easy way to find out: According to Ben & Jerry’s, ice cream that has been melted and then refrozen appears firmer and smaller because it has lost all the air bubbles that inflate it. Additionally, you will also see a change in the texture, becoming grainy and crystallized, and the container itself may be sticky and frosty from previously melted ice cream and refrozen condensation.
Another way to stay safe? Enjoy some lovely vegan cream, because with dairy varieties, the only melty ice cream that’s safe to eat is the kind that drips down your arm from an overflowing cone. Well, as long as your hands and arms are clean, of course.
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