Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream is keeping cutomers informed and employees partially compensated as it grapples with a $2.5 million Listeria recall. After Listeria was found in a pint of dark chocolate ice cream last week, The company’s CEO John Lowe has been posting updates on the company’s website.
At the time of the recall, no illnesses had been reported in association with the products, but the recall comes at a time when ice cream made by another company, Blue Bell, has. In mid-March, After Listeria in its ice cream was linked to illnesses and deaths, Blue Bell recalled some of its ice cream and then expanded the recall, twice.
Jeni’s recalled all of its ice cream and stopped making more after one pint tested positive for Listeria. Lowe says no one should be eating any flavor of Jeni’s ice cream right now and the company won’t start making more until it is sure the products are “100% safe.”
According to Lowe’s latest update, the company has enlisted “world-class experts” to eliminate the bacteria from its facility. It’s destroying more than 535,000 pounds of ice cream -enough to fill about 15 semi-trucks full. And it is providing partial pay and full health care benefits to employees missing work as a result of the temporary closure.
“We have slashed budgets and spending in every way conceivable in an effort to avoid layoffs while we try to subsist without revenue, face the very meaningful costs of the recall, and determine just how long our production kitchen will be down,” Lowe said.
