Remember last week? When reports emerged that a listeria outbreak killed one person and sent 22 others to the hospital after originating in Florida, many were looking for the source of the outbreak and now the answer is here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned about the dangers of Listeria contamination in various food products, and now, one of your favorite desserts might put you at risk.

The CDC, the Florida Department of Health, and public health and regulatory officials in various states are investigating an ongoing multistate Listeria outbreak connected with the consumption of Big Olaf brand ice cream products.

The outbreak has spanned over 10 different states, including Massachusetts, the only New England state to be affected. Two people in the state have been linked to the outbreak, the CDC reported. However, the CDC said the outbreak may not be limited to the states affected “because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria.”

You can see all states affected here.

Big Olaf Creamery addressed the issue in a statement about being at the center of the listeria outbreak while revealing that the company is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation. The company also claimed that “it is only speculation” that its ice cream is responsible for the listeria outbreak. “Our brand has not been confirmed to be linked to these cases. Nothing has been proven,” the statement partially read.

Meanwhile, the CDC said that in addition to Big Olaf Creamery contacting all known retail locations and businesses to alert them to stop selling their ice cream until further notice, the health organization is also urging anyone who purchased Big Olaf Creamery ice cream to throw it away immediately.

It said the Sarasota, Florida-based ice cream manufacturer was “voluntarily contacting retail locations to recommend against selling their ice cream products until further notice.”

LISTERIA OUTBREAK UPDATE: Do not eat Big Olaf Creamery ice cream. If you have Big Olaf Creamery brand ice cream at home, throw away any remaining product. This ice cream is only sold in Florida. This investigation is ongoing.

For the latest info: https://t.co/0aGAF3ZL4j pic.twitter.com/5w476Yk5yU

— CDC (@CDCgov) July 2, 2022

Listeria is a serious infection caused by consuming food that has been contaminated with the listeria monocytogenes bacterium.

And anyone who has any Big Olaf brand ice cream products should throw them away and thoroughly disinfect any surfaces that it has come into contact with.

“Consumers who have Big Olaf Creamery brand ice cream at home should throw away any remaining product,” the CDC said.

Citizens must thoroughly clean “any areas, containers, and serving utensils that may have touched Big Olaf ice cream products,” the agency said.

Sources: WesternJournal, Sarasota Herald-Tribune