Blue Bell Issues Nationwide Recall of All Products
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Marzia Giacobbe/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Blue Bell Ice Cream said late Monday it is voluntarily recalling all of its products nationwide over fears of Listeria contamination.
The latest recall includes all of the company’s ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and frozen snacks. The announcement comes after the company found that Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream half-gallons produced on March 17 and March 27 contained the bacteria.
“We’re committed to doing the 100 percent right thing, and the best way to do that is to take all of our products off the market until we can be confident that they are all safe,” said Paul Kruse, Blue Bell CEO and president, in a statement posted on the company’s website. “We are heartbroken about this situation and apologize to all of our loyal Blue Bell fans and customers. Our entire history has been about making the very best and highest quality ice cream and we intend to fix this problem. We want enjoying our ice cream to be a source of joy and pleasure, never a cause for concern, so we are committed to getting this right.”
After eating ice cream products from Blue Bell Creamery at a hospital in Wichita, Kansas, between January 2014 and January 2015, five people were sickened. Three of the patients who were sickened at the Wichita hospital later died, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in March.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
The company is implementing a procedure called “test and hold” for all products made at all of its manufacturing facilities, meaning that all products will be tested first and held for release to the market only after the tests show they are safe.
The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, manufacturing facility will remain closed as Blue Bell continues to investigate.
A full list of the states the products were distributed to is available on Blue Bell’s website.
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