FDA warning letter to Dreyer's ice cream cone plant cites years of environmental Listeria findings

On October 13, 2026, FDA posted a September 29, 2026 warning letter to Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Inc. for its plant in Bakersfield, California, which makes frozen ready-to-eat ice cream cone products. FDA inspected the plant from January 27 to February 20, 2026 and found serious violations of the CGMP and preventive controls rule, 21 CFR Part 117. The investigator's review of environmental monitoring records from 2021 through February 5, 2026 showed ongoing Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria spp. findings throughout production and auxiliary areas, including 19 Listeria positives and 8 confirmed L. monocytogenes positives in 2026 as of February 5. Even so, according to FDA, the plant's hazard analysis concluded that pathogen contamination was not a significant hazard because a sanitation prerequisite program controlled it, and the firm did not document root cause investigations and corrective actions for certain zone findings, contrary to its own procedure.

The investigator also saw employees move between trash, cardboard and other non-food-contact surfaces and food-contact surfaces or ready-to-eat ingredients without changing gloves or washing or sanitizing their hands, and hygienic barriers at doorways that were not being used or maintained. FDA acknowledged the firm's corrective actions, including a new pathogen investigation form, but said they did not address why earlier actions failed to prevent Listeria from recurring, whether a facility-wide deep clean was done, or how the sampling plan and schedule were developed. FDA also noted that the glove swabs the firm used to verify hand hygiene measure Enterobacteriaceae, which does not detect Listeria spp. FDA says it will verify the corrections during a follow-up inspection.