Canadian food safety officials have suspended two federal licences held by Abe’s Frozen Desserts Inc., a Quebec-based maker of kosher and dairy-free frozen treats, after inspectors found problems in key parts of the company’s food safety program.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) lists the suspension date as May 8, 2026, for two Safe Food for Canadians licences connected to Abe’s Frozen Desserts Inc. in Terrebonne, Quebec. The affected licence numbers are 4NDYJPMK and 6RLKWXL8, according to the agency’s public enforcement record.
The suspension does not mean a recall has been issued. Instead, it means production activities covered by the suspended licences must stop until the company satisfies regulators that the violations have been corrected. That difference is important for shoppers because a recall normally identifies specific products, dates, sizes or lot codes that consumers should avoid or return.
The CFIA said the inspection found failures involving pasteurization controls, preventive control plans, hazard analysis, sanitation, sampling for Listeria monocytogenes, equipment maintenance and record keeping. These are core requirements in a frozen dessert plant because they show whether a company can consistently control hazards before products reach stores.
Pasteurization is one of the most important safety steps in many dairy and frozen dessert operations. If the process is not properly controlled or documented, regulators may not have enough assurance that ingredients were treated safely. Sanitation and equipment maintenance are also critical because bacteria can survive in hard-to-clean areas of food processing equipment if cleaning programs are weak or inconsistent.
The Listeria sampling issue is especially significant. Listeria monocytogenes can persist in damp food production environments and may become difficult to remove once it settles into drains, floors, machinery or other surfaces. The bacterium can cause serious illness, particularly in pregnant people, newborns, older adults and those with weakened immune systems.
For that reason, Canadian food companies handling ready-to-eat products are expected to keep strong preventive control plans. These plans are meant to identify possible hazards, explain how the business controls them, and provide records showing that checks are actually being performed. When those systems break down, regulators can act even before a confirmed outbreak or recall occurs.
The CFIA’s official licence suspension listing can be reviewed on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website. The agency says licence suspensions remain in effect until the licence holder demonstrates that corrective measures have been taken. If the company does not complete corrective action within 90 days, the licences may be cancelled. Licences may also be cancelled under other grounds set out in Section 39 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.
Abe’s Frozen Desserts is known for frozen products such as ice cream and ice pops, including kosher and dairy-free options sold through supermarkets. Its website currently shows a short “something cool is coming soon” message, offering little public detail about the suspension or any corrective plan.
For consumers, the most useful takeaway is that there is no recall linked to this suspension at the moment. Anyone concerned about products already purchased should monitor official CFIA recall updates rather than relying only on social media posts or store-level rumours.
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The case also fits into a broader pattern of closer attention to Listeria risks in refrigerated and ready-to-eat foods. Swikblog recently covered a separate Canada cheese recall involving more than 30 products over Listeria concerns, another reminder that contamination risks can affect many parts of the food supply chain.
For Abe’s Frozen Desserts, the path forward depends on whether the company can prove to federal inspectors that its food safety systems are reliable, documented and fully compliant. Until then, production under the suspended licences remains halted.
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