Clio Snacks hit with possible Listeria contamination
The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) advised the recall of 581 cases of the popular snacks after routine testing revealed the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes at a third-party manufacturing plant.
While no illnesses have been reported to date, the bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.
Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, confusion, loss of balance, diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal symptoms, however, for pregnant women, listeriosis can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
Recalled lots
The recalled products were distributed to select Walmart stores between 5 March and 8 March 2023. They come in a single-serving box with UPC Code 854021008152, Lot Number 048C2023 and an expiration date of 4/30/2023 stamped on the side of the box.
Consumers who have purchased the bars are being advised not to eat them, but either destroy them or return them to the store for a full refund.
The affected parfait bars were manufactured by a third-party vendor and not at the Clio’s Piscataway facility. No other Clio products are produced by that vendor and therefore, are not affected.
The third-party manufacturer has ceased production of the Strawberry Granola and Greek Yogurt Parfait Bars while Clio, with support from the FDA, investigates the root of the problem.
When a producer announces a recall, the FDA posts the announcement as a public service, not as an endorsement of either the product or the company.
Supporting Ukraine
In 2015, Clio Snacks was founded by Ukrainian immigrant Sergey Konchakovskiy founded Clio Snacks to create clean, guilt-free snacking without compromise.
Konchakovskiy was originally inspired by his offspring’s interest in a batch of strained Greek yoghurt in the fridge – an idea that turned into a refrigerated cheesecake-textured bar with functional benefits.
“Curiosity led us to an innovative idea that brought yoghurt into the 21st century.”
Clio has subsequently seen +30% year-over-year revenue growth with several varieties within its portfolio – including Original, Minis, Less Sugar and Granola & Yogurt Parfait – sold across a variety of channels.
The company’s rapid growth in consumer demand and velocity pushed it to raise another round of funding in 2022, securing $8m from its existing investor Alliance Consumer Growth (ACG) with additional participation from other key partners, including tennis player Maria Sharapova and NBA player Jayson Tatum.
