Four kinds of Häagen-Dazs brand ice cream are withdrawn from commerce and recalled due to the residual presence of a carcinogenic component. Find the batches concerned and the consequences on health.
General Mills announced on Wednesday July 6 that it was recalling four batches of Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream after detecting the presence of traces of a carcinogenic compound, ethylene oxide (ETO), banned in Europe. In a press release, the group indicates that these ETO residues “can be attributed to an ingredient (vanilla extract) supplied by one of our suppliers” and that their presence “slightly exceeds the analytical detection thresholds”. Therefore, people who have purchased these products are asked to get rid of them and report them.
The products concerned are as follows: vanilla ice creams in 460 ml and 650 ml formats, those in small 95 ml pots, and finally those sold in boxes of four in the Vanilla Collection range, whose minimum durability date goes from 6 July 2022 to May 21, 2023. Here are the numbers of the four lots concerned:
- GTIN 3415581311716 Date of minimum durability between 06/07/2022 and 21/05/2023
- GTIN 3415581101010 Date of minimum durability between 06/07/2022 and 21/05/2023
- GTIN 3415580503518 Date of minimum durability between 06/07/2022 and 21/05/2023
- GTIN 3415581586718 Date of minimum durability between 06/07/2022 and 21/05/2023
These products have been marketed by many large retail chains: Auchan, Carrefour, Casino, Cora Franprix, Fresca, Futura, Intermarché, Leclerc or Monoprix, Métro, Picard or Système U. General Mills has set up a toll-free number to answer questions from consumers, on 08 00 33 32 31. A refund will also be offered to people who come forward.
Are these Häagen-Dazs ice creams dangerous for your health?
If Häagen-Dazs removes these glasses, it is because residues of ethylene oxide have been detected there. This compound is banned in Europe because it is carcinogenic. Regular exposure can therefore promote cancer. In the present case of ice cream, General Mills indicates that the residual presence of ethylene oxide “slightly exceeds the analytical detection thresholds”, without specifying further. These residues come from an ingredient used in the composition of ice cream, vanilla extract.
The company’s press release calls for not consuming these products, without further specifying the danger of their consumption and without giving instructions in the event of consumption, which suggests that this product recall is above all a precautionary measure. It must also be said that the European standards concerning ethylene oxide are much stricter than in the United States: the tolerated limit for the presence of this compound in a product in the United States is 7 mg/kg, against 0 .1 mg/kg in Europe.