According to KEYE-TV in San Antonio, Texas, people are trying to sell recalled Blue Bell ice cream on Craigslist. And that isn't the only case. A Dallas Craigslist ad offers Blue Bell Vanilla flavor, and another ad in Houston offers the recalled product. Blue Bell ice cream and all of its other products were recalled for Listeria monocytogenes last month. The ice cream is linked to a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that has killed three people and sickened at least ten. Some offers were made on eBay, but that company does have a policy against selling recalled items. All of those offers have been removed by the company. It is against the law to resell foods that have been recalled for issues such as bacterial contamination. There is one exception: meat. Raw meat that has been … [Read more...]
Attorney Discusses Blue Bell FDA Inspection Reports
Attorney Fred Pritzker, who is representing people sickened in the Blue Bell ice cream Listeria outbreak, discusses the FDA inspection reports about the company's facility. Since ice cream is a ready-to-eat food with no consumer "kill step" of cooking, any finding of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in the plant is a serious issue. Listeria bacteria was present in the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Blue Bell processing plant as early as March 2013, according to the report. Blue Bell was notified of its "improper cleaning" and continued to ship product from the facility. The company knew they had a "pervasive Listeria infestation in their plant. In the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma plant, they sanitized using normal procedures, and subsequent tests found more Listeria. In other words, the cleaning … [Read more...]
CDC Updates Listeriosis Outbreak Linked to Blue Bell Ice Cream
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its investigation into the multistate outbreak of listeriosis linked to Blue Bell Creameries ice cream products. Ten people from four states have been sickened so far. Three people have died, and all ten people have been hospitalized. The CDC has produced an infographic about the outbreak, which traces the illnesses and the facilities where products that made people sick were made. Listeria was found in Blue Bell ice cream products and in the Oklahoma and Texas facilities where they were made. Blue Bell recalled all of its products on the market made at all facilities on April 20, 2015. That recall includes all of its ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, and frozen snacks, because they may be contaminated with Listeria … [Read more...]
FDA: Blue Bell Knew About Listeria in 2013
The FDA has released its inspection reports on Blue Bell's three ice cream facilities revealing food safety violations at all of them and the presence of Listeria in one of them as far back as 2013. Blue Bell ice cream has been linked to a Listeria outbreak that has sickened at least 10 people in four states, three of whom have died. The company has recalled all of its products. Consumers who have Blue Bell ice cream in their freezers should not eat it as they risk serious illness if they do. Blue Bell's three production facilities, in Brehnam, Texas; Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; and Sylacauga, Alabama, all had multiple food safety violations. At the Broken Arrow facility where operations have been suspended since April 3, Listeria monocytogenes bacteria was found repeatedly during … [Read more...]
Whole Genome Sequencing Finds Much More Listeria
Two years ago, scientists at the CDC launched a pilot program to sequence the DNA of every Listeria monocytogenes bacteria sample tied to an illness in this country. As a result, many more outbreaks are being identified, including ones that were hidden. Brendan Jackson, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC told Science that "now that we're turning whole-genome sequencing on, we're identifying outbreak after outbreak." The outbreaks are also originating in foods that are usually associated with foodborne illness outbreaks, such as ice cream and caramel apples. This new method identifies gaps in the food safety system and may lead to more testing of foods that were not suspects in outbreaks before now. The deadly Blue Bell Listeria monocytogenes outbreak, that has sickened 10 people … [Read more...]
Senators Urge Full Food Safety Funding After Blue Bell Outbreak
U.S. Senators urge full funding of the Food Safety Modernization Act after the deadly Blue Bell Listeria monocytogenes outbreak and the recall of potentially contaminated pasta salad at Hy-Vee stores across the Midwest. FSMA has been underfunded by less than half the amount it needs for full implementation since it was signed into law four years ago. The Senators include Brian Schatz (D-HI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). The letter states, in part, "The Food Safety Modernization Act was enacted to bring our nation's food safety system into the 21st century by enabling our agencies to prevent food contamination rather than reacting once illnesses have occurred. Prevention is … [Read more...]
Crickets and Mildew at Blue Bell Before Listeria Outbreak
Health inspectors found live crickets, mildew and other food safety violations at Blue Bell's Brenham Texas plant before the Listeria outbreak, according to records obtained by NBC5. The records show that although there were dozens of violations in the four years since the Listeria problem at the plant has been ongoing, no formal warnings or fines were issued, according to the station's report. NBC 5 used the Texas open records law to get copies of inspection reports from January 1, 2011 to April 15, 2015. Blue Bell ice cream made at plants in Texas and Oklahoma has been linked to 10 illnesses and three deaths. Five people were sickened while they were being treated at a Kansas hospital and three illnesses occurred in patients at three different Texas hospitals. One person from Arizona … [Read more...]
Blue Bell Listeria Outbreak Spreads to 4 States, 10 Sick
The Listeria outbreak linked to Blue Bell ice cream has spread to four states, sickening 10 people and killing three. In addition to Kansas and Texas, illnesses have now been reported from Oklahoma and Arizona. Blue Bell has recalled all of its products currently on the market. Consumers who have Blue Bell ice cream in their freezers should not eat it as it may be contaminated with Listeria. So far, all 10 of the people identified as case patients in this outbreak contracted Listeria infections from ice cream they were served while hospitalized for unrelated illnesses. The newly reported cases occurred in January 2010 and March 2012. People at high risk for infection from Listeria include pregnant women, newborns, small children, seniors and those with weakened immune systems. … [Read more...]
Blue Bell Recalls ALL Ice Cream Products: More Listeria
Blue Bell Creameries has recalled all of its ice cream products today after two more samples tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The company issued the recall today on its web site. The recall covers ice cream made at all of its facilities. The recall is for all Blue Bell ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, and frozen snacks currently for sale. The products are distributed to retail outlets, food service accounts, convenience stores, and supermarkets in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wyoming, and international locations. An enhanced sampling program that was initiated by Blue … [Read more...]
Blue Bell Ice Cream Back in Some Stores After Listeria Outbreak
Blue Bell ice cream Listeria recalls prompted many retailers across the U.S. to completely remove the brand from store shelves, but now the recalls are giving way to restocking decisions. Among the first companies to return shelf space to Blue Bell is San Antonio-based H-E-B Grocery Stores. A spokesperson for the chain of more than 350 stores told KTRK-TV that a gradual return has begun. Leslie Sweet of H-E-B said Blue Bell is a brand Texans know and love, but the grocery company had to stay true to its commitment to safe food when it removed the ice cream last month during a series of three different recalls by Blue Bell. The recalls were associated with deepening links between Blue Bell ice cream products and two clusters of listeriosis -- the first in Kansas and the second identified … [Read more...]
