Stewart’s Shops Recalls Two Half-Gallon Ice Cream Flavors Over Possible Metal

Stewart’s Shops is recalling two half-gallon ice cream flavors sold across New York, Vermont and New Hampshire because they may contain metal. The October 2 notice covers Heavenly Medley and Vanilla-Chocolate-Strawberry ice cream sold at all Stewart’s Shops locations from July 17 through October 2, 2026.

The Heavenly Medley product is packaged in a one-half-gallon, or 1.89-liter, paperboard carton. Consumers should look for UPC 0 82086 44371 1 and a best-by date of February 10, 2027. The second affected product, Vanilla-Chocolate-Strawberry, is the same package size and carries UPC 0 82086 44377 3 with a best-by date of February 11, 2027.

The recall began after a consumer discovered a metal object in a half-gallon carton, according to the company announcement posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. No injuries or illnesses had been reported when the notice was published. The warning concerns a physical foreign-object hazard, not a pathogen, allergen or temperature-control failure.

Consumers should not eat either affected product. Stewart’s Shops says the cartons can be returned to any of its locations for a full refund. Because the products were sold frozen and list a seven-month shelf life, households in the three affected states may still have cartons in home freezers even if they were purchased weeks ago.

The recall is specific to the two named flavors, package size, best-by dates and UPCs. The notice does not state that every Stewart’s Shops ice cream flavor is affected. Checking all four identifiers is the clearest way to distinguish recalled cartons from products outside the announced scope.

For retailers and food manufacturers, the episode highlights why physical-hazard controls extend beyond the production line. Metal detection, equipment inspection, preventive maintenance, packaging checks and consumer-complaint escalation are separate safeguards. A complaint that identifies a foreign object can trigger a market action even when no injury has been reported.

The products are ready-to-eat, so consumers are not expected to apply any further processing that might reveal or remove a foreign object. That makes accurate shelf identification and prompt removal from freezers especially important. The FDA page includes product-label photographs to help buyers compare the affected cartons.

Questions about the recall can be directed to Stewart’s Shops contact Robin Cooper at 518-248-0455 or rcooper@stewartsshops.com. The company initiated the recall with FDA knowledge; FDA notes that it posts company recall announcements as a public service and does not endorse the products or the company.