BRENHAM, Texas -- Blue Bell Creameries has voluntarily suspended operations at its manufacturing plant in Broken Arrow, Okla., after frozen snack products produced there for institutional and foodservice customers tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, leading to a series of recallsthat have expanded to convenience stores and other retailers.
On March 22, the Kansas Department of Health & Environment reported one positive test for Listeria monocytogenes on a chocolate institutional and foodservice cup recovered from a hospital in Wichita, Kansas.
On March 23, the Brenham, Texas-based company announced a recall of three-ounce, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla institutional and foodservice ice cream cups with tab lids. These cups are not sold through retail outlets such as convenience stores and supermarkets. There were no reported illnesses from those products as of March 23.
The ice cream cups were distributed 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 and Wyoming.
Also on March 23, Blue Bell Ice announced that it was recalling 10 frozen snack items distributed in the same states via "select stores" and foodservice accounts:
- Chocolate Chip Country Cookie (5.25 fluid ounce)
- Great Divide Bar (2.75 fl. oz.)
- Sour Pop Green Apple Bar (2.5 fl. oz.)
- Cotton Candy Bar (2.5 fl. oz.)
- Scoops (4.0 fl. oz.)
- Vanilla Stick Slices (4.0 fl. oz.)
- Almond Bar (2.75 fl. oz.)
- Six-pack Cotton Candy Bars (6 - 2.5 fl. oz.)
- Six-pack Sour Pop Green Apple Bars (6 - 2.5 fl. oz.)
- 12-pack NSA Mooo Bars (12 - 2.0 fl. oz.; Regular Mooo Bars are not included.)
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) reported that as of March 23, there were three deaths associated with the recalled products.
On April 4, out of an abundance of caution, Blue Bell began working with retail outlets to remove all products produced in Broken Arrow from their service area. These products are identified with a code date ending in O, P, Q, R, S or T located on the bottom of the carton and they are a part of the voluntary market withdrawal.
Blue Bell on April 7, 2015, announced that it was expanding its recall of products that were produced in the Broken Arrow plant to include Banana Pudding Ice Cream pints distributed to retail outlets, including foodservice accounts, convenience stores and supermarkets in the same states.
On April 7, the FDA notified Blue Bell that the Banana Pudding Ice Cream pint tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. This pint was produced in the Broken Arrow plant on February 12, 2015. Subsequently, Blue Bell is recalling all products made on that one particular production line, from February 12, 2015 to March 27, 2015. These products were produced on that same line and have a code date ending in either S or T. No illnesses have been confirmed to date.
Major grocers inclucing Tom Thumb, Albertsons, H-E-B, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Kroger announced they would pull all Blue Bell products made at the Broken Arrow plant, reported The Dallas Morning News. Each retailer said it will continue selling other Blue Bell products from other plants.
Click here for the FDA's web page on the Blue Bell recall.
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