It has to do with the ingredients, depending on which side of the container you glance at. Here's the beloved flavor posing an issue.
It would be a little befuddling to grab a carton of vanilla ice cream, and then get home and realize part of the packaging reads a different flavor.
That’s what may have happened with 324 containers of Friendly’s ice cream, some of which read Vanilla on the carton but Cookies & Cream on the lid.
What resulted is cookies and cream-flavor ice cream inside vanilla-labeled containers. This sounds like a delicious enough mistake, unless you suffer from an allergy or other sensitivity to soy or wheat—both of which are among the list of major food allergens, and both of which the Cookies & Cream flavor contains. As the FDA put it Thursday:
“The recalled product was mistakenly packaged in Friendly’s Vanilla Bean ice cream cartons with a Cookies & Cream lid. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to soy and/or wheat run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.”
Grace Cary/getty images
This reportedly affects Friendly’s ice cream “packaged in a 48 fl. oz. Friendly’s Vanilla Bean ice cream carton with a Friendly’s Cookies & Cream lid.” These cartons are said to have been shipped to retail stories in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and it’s said all bear a best-by date of November 26, 2025 on the lid. The FDA notice assures the public that no other Friendly’s brand products are affected, and no medical events associated with the product have been reported.
The notice also states: “Consumers who have purchased 48 fl. oz. Friendly’s Vanilla Bean ice cream containers with a Cookies & Cream lid can return it to their place of purchase for a full refund.”
According to its site, Friendly’s is a 90-year-old brand that first launched in Massachusetts by the name “Friendly Ice Cream.” It’s said to have been the “first pre-packaged half-gallons in stores” and today is sold through retailers across the country, such as Walmart, Albertsons, Giant Eagle, and many others.
Finding cookies & cream inside a vanilla-labeled container can be pretty obvious to spot. However, this case is a good reminder that if you have a dietary restriction, or serve food to anyone with one, you simply can’t always go by what the label says. Consume carefully—and hey, enjoy a summer scoop every now and again.
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