Listeria monocytogenes has been found for the second time in the Columbus, OH, production kitchen of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. According to CEO John Lowe, the bacteria were discovered through “routine swabbing as part of our monitoring program.” He said Friday that ice cream production, which had just resumed there on May 13, had stopped earlier this week and that the company has been investigating where and how the Listeria may have re-entered the facility. “We have a theory and are testing that theory,” Lowe said, adding, “We don’t yet have a timeline for the resumption of production.” He said every batch of ice cream made since resuming production last month had gone through a test-and-hold procedure before being offered to the public. “So it is with complete confidence that I can say all of the ice cream that has been served in our shops since reopening on May 22 has been safe and is 100% Listeria-free,” Lowe said. Meanwhile, the company is again temporarily closing its 21 scoop shops because there isn’t enough ice cream to keep them stocked, Lowe said. “After we eradicate the Listeria and have thoroughly tested the facility, we will restart making ice cream. Sometime thereafter we’ll announce a date when our shops will reopen,” he said. After Listeria was found in a pint of Jeni’s dark chocolate ice cream randomly tested in Nebraska, the company halted production, recalled all of its products, and embarked on a thorough cleaning, sanitizing and reconfiguring of its production kitchen that reportedly cost $200,000. Jeni’s also destroyed 265 tons of ice cream worth more than $2.5 million. Inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who visited the production facility in Columbus eight times in late April reported inadequate pathogen controls and cleanliness procedures. Lowe announced May 6 that Jeni’s had located the “smoking gun” after swab-testing found Listeria on the spout of one of its production machines. He later noted that all problems identified by the FDA inspectors had been fixed as of May 11 during the temporary shutdown. Unlike the recent recall of Blue Bell Creameries ice cream for Listeria contamination, no illnesses have been linked so far to consumption of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Listeria bacteria are notoriously hard to get rid of once inside a processing facility, in part because they can grow even in cold temperatures. Infection with Listeria can cause miscarriage or stillbirth in pregnant women and can particular affect young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms of Listeria infection include nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, muscle aches, confusion and headache.