An allergy mom played a key role in a huge recall of the Popsicle brand’s single-serve Jolly Rancher frozen pops.
Katie Wisz was certain this Jolly Rancher treat was the cause of her son Matty’s anaphylactic reaction. It was the only thing he’d eaten before the symptoms came on. Despite receiving some initial pushback, Wisz was adamant in her warnings to Popsicle maker Unilever. She was clear that the frozen treat would pose a danger to customers with a milk allergy, like her son.
On August 21, 2024, the efforts of Wisz of Westchester, New York, were validated. Unilever recalled about 137,000 cases of Popsicle Jolly Rancher Frozen Confection Pop products that are sold individually.
“I’m still angry that it happened. But I took action. Popsicle ultimately ended up taking action. I feel like I made a difference,” Wisz tells Allergic Living.
Unilever issued the recall because the Jolly Rancher Pops “may contain milk, which is not listed as an ingredient on the label,” the recall announcement states. It also cited “the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction” if someone with a milk allergy consumed the product.
Customers can find UPC codes specifying which single-serve pops are included in the recall in the online notice.
Matty, who’s 10, suffered anaphylaxis within minutes of eating his Jolly Rancher Popsicle from a recreation complex’s snack bar. Wisz says her son recovered thanks to an epinephrine injection. The boy has allergies to milk, egg, peanuts and pea protein.
The Jolly Rancher single-serve pop was sold at ice cream trucks, concession stands and grab-and-go freezers in the United States between February 1, 2024 and August 15, 2024. (The recall doesn’t include Jolly Rancher grocery store packages.)
Special Miniature Golf Outing
That day in June 2024 was going so well. It was the last day of school, and Matty and his mom celebrated the start of summer with a trip to his favorite local miniature golf spot.
“We had a blast,” Wisz says. After their mini golf round, they headed to the facility’s concession stand for a treat.
Wisz says the snack bar employee “was wonderful,” and diligently checked the label of every ice pop at the snack bar with Matty and his mom. Most of the Popsicle brand pops had “may contain” milk warnings on the label. For example, the Spongebob version includes a “may contain” warning for milk and soy on its label.
But a new Jolly Rancher pop did not. Wisz felt good seeing an option without the allergy warning. She reasoned that since the Popsicle frozen treats had the milk warning, this pop without milk listed on the label must be safe.
Matty told his mom: “This is the best ice pop I’ve ever had!” She says he “devoured it,” as the two sat at the facility’s playground.
Celebration Turns to Anaphylaxis
But their celebratory mood ended swiftly. As soon as he finished eating the ice pop, Matty told his mom he wanted to go home, and he was clearing his throat.
The change in his demeanor caused “alarm bells to start going off in my head,” Matty’s mom says. So when they got to the car, she checked him from head to toe for hives, including checking his lips and tongue for any signs of swelling. At that point, there were no obvious allergy signs.
He said he felt OK, but Wisz had a gut feeling that was not so. Just in case, she decided to take a route home that would pass an urgent care facility.
As they neared the urgent care facility, Matty started vomiting. Wisz ran them into the facility, with his epinephrine auto-injector in her hand. The physician they saw said Matty’s throat was closing. Wisz quickly administered the epinephrine auto-injector to her son, whose symptoms immediately improved.
The experience reminded her to trust her intuition, she says. She is thankful she did, both with her decision to take a different route home, and with being ready to use epinephrine.
“It happened so quickly,” she recalls. Matty finishing the ice pop to receiving the epinephrine injection took place within 15 minutes.
An ambulance took Matty to a nearby hospital, where he was observed for a few hours. Matty’s mom started to feel like she could breathe again when she saw her son’s recovery.
But then Wisz thought about the potentially mislabeled product still being on the market. “I started thinking, I need to warn people,” she tells Allergic Living.
Allergy Mom’s Perseverance
She was sure the ice pop was the reaction trigger. Matty hadn’t consumed anything else at the time, and he had washed his hands before eating the frozen treat.
Wisz called Unilever the next day to alert the manufacturer to her son’s allergic reaction after eating the Popsicle brand Jolly Rancher pop. The company representative told Matty’s mom that an investigation would be difficult without any of Matty’s ice pop or its packaging remaining. Unilever did not respond to Allergic Living’s request for comment.
“The last thing on my mind was to run to the garbage to get the wrapper” while her son was having an allergic reaction, she says. Determined to elicit action, Wisz called the miniature golf location the next day to see if they still had Jolly Rancher pops she could buy to show the company. But they had sold out.
Wisz received a letter dated June 28, 2024, summarizing her discussion with the company representative. It advised her “not to use this product again.”
Wisz says she felt defeated and frustrated. She worried about the consequences if someone else with a milk allergy ate the this particular pop. “I was emotionally drained,” she says.
But she didn’t give up. Wisz filed a report online with the Food and Drug Administration. She spread the word in a few food allergy groups on social media. Plus, she left a review on the company website’s description of the Jolly Rancher pop. Titled “Severe Anaphylactic Reaction,” it warned to “steer clear if you have a milk allergy.”
She also continued to email and call Unilever. “All I wanted was for the ice pop to be tested and recalled,” she says.
Efforts Validated with Pop Recall
As the end of summer drew closer, Wisz was concerned about whether anything was going to be done about the Jolly Rancher pop. Then on August 21, 2024, she received a call from the manufacturer.
When the company representative told her that Unilever was recalling the Jolly Rancher pop, Wisz was floored. “I couldn’t believe it.” They also thanked her for sharing her story.
Matty’s allergic reaction was one of two that Unilever reported in its recall in connection with the Jolly Rancher pop. The recall notice states that findings, “indicate there may be a presence of milk allergens in the product which is not disclosed on the packaging.”
“It made me feel grateful that they investigated it, they found out I was right,” Wisz says.
But the recall doesn’t solve the larger issue of inconsistency with allergen labeling. In fact, Wisz says her experience only drives home the need for standards regarding U.S. “may contain” warnings.
“We can’t depend on the current labeling laws to keep us safe. We need stronger labeling laws about ingredients and manufacturing processes,” she says.
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act labeling law requires any of the top nine allergens to be clearly labeled on packaged food. “May contain” statements, which are voluntary, can be used to claim a cross-contact risk.
The recall provided the family with some closure, along with validation for a food allergy mom’s intuition. “I’m grateful that Matty’s OK,” Wisz says. “I’m grateful that there is a recall.”
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