Slim Fast Recalls Ready-to-Drink Cans

Unilever, the company that makes Slim Fast products, is announcing a voluntary recall of over 10 million cans of it's ready-to-drink beverage.

Testing on the product found that it was contaminated with a bacteria called B. cereus, which can cause a mild case of stomach upset or vomiting.

It's unclear whether the recall is due to consumer complaints, quality testing, or both. According to ABC News, an FDA spokesman said that testing was done after "several consumers" complained about the product, but Unilever spokeswoman Anita Larsen assured consumers that quality testing is part of their regular routine.

Unilever is stressing to consumers that an infection with B. cereus is unlikely to be serious. If you've got any of the product in your home, however, you should throw it out immediately. Call Unilever at 1-800-896-9479 to get a full refund. Keep in mind that the recall only affects their ready-to-drink cans, not their powdered drink products or nutritional bars.

And since we're a blog, let's discuss: What do you think about Slimfast as a diet aid? Would you or have you used it? The last time I used it regularly was shortly after high school, when the idea was to drink a can each for breakfast and lunch, followed by a healthy dinner. Now we know, of course, that that's far too few calories for anyone to consume in a day, but starving yourself was stylish then.

Though we all should be filling up on a variety of fruits, veggies, and colorful foods to maintain or lose weight, does Slim Fast still have a place for those who need a little control to maintain their willpower (especially now that their diet plans are a little more balanced)? Or does what we know now about healthy weight loss make this product little more than a diet dinosaur, past its prime?

What do you think?

Written By Bethany Sanders on Dec 5, 2009

13 Comments

FitJerk - Flawless Fitness Blog on 6 Dec 2009

"Testing on the product found that it was contaminated with a bacteria called B. cereus, which can cause a mild case of stomach upset or vomiting."

Heh more like, after testing they found that it was SlimFast's plan B if people didn't lose weight using their shakes.

...involuntary bulimia?

Melanie | Dietriffic on 6 Dec 2009

I'm against meal replacements like this, my main concern being it's not REAL food. That bugs me... why can't people put a little effort in and learn how to eat healthy instead, rather than going for a quick fix solution??? ARGH....

cari from ditch diets on 7 Dec 2009

Valarie - I'm 100% with you. Why on earth are we sucked into believing that something as unnatural as Slim Fast is the end of our body woes? Having said that though I also have to fess up that I once drank the stuff as if it was the 'be-all' and 'end-all'. Horrible, and about as much help (from a weight point of view) as a sink without a plug.

Ali Hale on 7 Dec 2009

Same here! I've never tried Slim Fast and never want to. I can't see how it'd help anyone learn better eating habits. It seems like yet another overpriced "solution" preying on desperate folks.

Valarie on 7 Dec 2009

I usually drink Slim-Fast 2 times every day. I came down with what the docs assumed was "swine flu" until I came up with a horrendous EXTREMELY blistering & swelling mouth & thumb rash 3 starting weeks ago. The docs then assumed it was viral (either coxsacie or herpes 1 , then thought since it didn't disappear after 10 days it was bacterial because it has continued to spread down my hand even after 3 weeks. It didn't "look" like MRSA to her-- it looked like hundreds of little blisters on blisters on my thumb, which didn't pop open like MRSA or herpes.

"B. cereus is also known to cause people to have skin infections that can be quite lengthy, difficult to eradicate, and damaging"

A combination of mupirocin ointmint and triamcinolone acetonide with a cotton protective glove on my thumb, & liquid peroxyl in the mouth has finally helped stop the spread & helped start the healing.

I'd like to know what other people are experiencing & what the company is going to do about it.

Valarie

Bethany Sanders on 8 Dec 2009

Wow, Valerie. Thanks for sharing that. That's a LOT more serious than some mild vomiting or nausea.

Jody - Fit at 52 on 7 Dec 2009

I rather spend a bit of time & eat some real food. I understand that some are very busy & might have one of these drinks here & there but to make it a staple each & every day... not. You can make a great protein shake with real ingredients that tastes way better!

Spectra on 7 Dec 2009

Ugh, how can people tell the vomiting is from B. cereus and not the actual taste of SlimFast itself? When I was a teenager, I swiped some SlimFast from my mom and remember being shaky and having severe diarrhea and nausea for a whole day. I never touched the stuff after that.

In general, I don't care for SlimFast, mostly because I view it as a crutch that is only good for temporary weight loss. You can't keep the weight off unless you keep buying the shakes for life, which is exactly what they want you to do.

Lena on 8 Dec 2009

yet another reason to eat clean..and avoid anything processed... :)

O. on 8 Dec 2009

You guys are joking right?

Ever heard of Ensure or Pediasure?

Same idea, meal replacement shake. My mom's doctor recomended Ensure for her.

Whether a person has a medical reason why they can't eat, or you have finiky kids, or you have an "on the go" lifestyle where eating what you need isn't an option, these drinks serve an important putpose

Spectra on 9 Dec 2009

Ensure and Pediasure aren't weight-loss shakes; they are high calorie supplement drinks for elderly people and kids who either can't or won't eat. They're not designed to completely replace food; they're just something to drink in addition to your regular diet so you don't lose too much weight.

Melanie | Dietriffic on 9 Dec 2009

Ensure and Pediasure are not used for weight loss, they are prescribed supplements given to help patients boost their nutritional intake if they find it difficult to eat enough each day, for example the elderly with poor appetites. Ideally they should be used between meals, not as meal replacements.

Lavern Jackson on 14 Feb 2010

I am very dissapointed with slim fast after using slim fast for years. There was a young lady living with me for 10 yrs. She lived with Aids, and because of appitite problems she was told to use slim fast by her Doctor and later became very sick, vomiting, and upset stomach. Later in November she passed away. This is just a comment of how so dissapointed I am with Slim Fast Sincerly Mrs L. Jackson