Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream has issued a voluntary nationwide recall of select flavors of Outshine Fruit Bars after receiving consumer reports of glass found in the product. If you have any of the affected products in your freezer, the company says you should not eat them and should either discard them or return them to the store where you bought them for a full refund.
The recall was announced Tuesday, August 18, 2026. No injuries or illnesses have been reported to date, and Dreyer's says it is acting "out of an abundance of caution" while it investigates the reports. The voluntary nature of the recall reflects the company's decision to act before regulators require action, which is generally considered the responsible course when foreign material contamination is confirmed through consumer complaints.
Which Products Are Recalled
The recall covers the following Outshine products: Outshine Strawberry, Watermelon, Grape, Tangerine, and Black Cherry 6-Count 2.5-ounce Fruit Bars. Also included are Outshine 24-Count 2.5-ounce Variety Pack Fruit Bars. These items were shipped to retailers nationally, which means they may be on shelves or in freezer cases at grocery stores across Whatcom County including stores in Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine, and other communities.
Outshine Fruit Bars are a widely distributed product carried by most major grocery chains including Fred Meyer, Haggen, Safeway, Costco, and WinCo, all of which have locations in Whatcom County. Shoppers who picked up a box recently, particularly multi-packs, should check the packaging against the recalled product descriptions before consuming the contents. The 24-count variety pack is especially common in warehouse club stores and may have been purchased weeks ago if bought in bulk, making it worth checking the freezer even if you have not shopped recently.
Specific lot codes and best-by dates for the recalled products are available through the FDA recall listing. Not every box of Outshine Fruit Bars is affected, only those within the specific production lots identified in the recall. Checking the lot code on your package against the FDA listing is the most precise way to determine whether a specific box is part of the affected batch.
What to Do If You Have Recalled Products
Consumers who have purchased the affected products have two options: discard the products entirely, or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Most major retailers will accept the return of recalled products with or without a receipt. This is standard practice across the grocery industry when a recall is issued, and customer service staff at local stores should be familiar with the process. Anyone who is concerned about a possible injury from consuming a recalled product should contact a healthcare provider promptly. Glass fragments in food present a genuine ingestion hazard, and while the absence of reported injuries is reassuring, anyone who experienced unexplained mouth, throat, or digestive discomfort after consuming the affected products should discuss it with a medical professional.
The recall is managed by Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, which is owned by Nestle. More detailed information on the specific lot codes and product identifiers for the recalled items is available through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recalls page, where consumers can find photos of the affected packaging and the specific batch identification information needed to determine whether a particular box is part of the recall.
Foreign material contamination recalls, while alarming, are not uncommon in large-scale food manufacturing and typically result from equipment failures or breakdowns in a production line. Glass contamination specifically is taken seriously by both manufacturers and regulators because of the potential for internal injury if the material is consumed. Glass can originate from broken inspection equipment, shattered conveyor components, or failed packaging machinery, and identifying the precise source of contamination is part of the investigation that follows a recall announcement. The fact that no injuries have been reported is a positive indication, but the company's decision to recall the products nationally reflects a precautionary approach consistent with FDA guidance on foreign material contamination.
How to Stay Informed on Food Recalls
Whatcom County residents who want to stay current on food safety alerts can sign up for email notifications directly from the FDA, which issues recall announcements as they are made. The FDA's recall database is searchable by product type, company, and date, and is updated in near real-time when new recalls are announced. Setting up an email alert takes only a few minutes and ensures you receive notice of recalls affecting any product category you choose to monitor.
For products purchased at local grocery stores, customer service desks can typically confirm whether a specific item has been recalled and facilitate a return or exchange. Washington state's food safety oversight is handled jointly by the FDA for most packaged foods and by the Washington State Department of Agriculture for certain categories of locally produced food. More information on food safety resources in Washington is available through the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Residents with food safety concerns can also contact the FDA directly at 1-800-FDA-1088 or through the agency's online reporting portal. Related consumer safety and community news for Whatcom County is also covered regularly in our local briefings; more information is available at our community resources coverage.
