Blue Bell to resume distributing ice cream to select markets
Blue Bell Creameries will resume distributing ice cream to select markets in Texas and Alabama this month after halting sales and production following listeria contamination. The Brenham, Texas-based company said Monday that it plans to re-enter parts of 15 states in five phases. The first phase, which starts Aug. 31, will include the Brenham, Houston and Austin areas in Texas and the Birmingham and Montgomery areas in Alabama. The Blue Bell production plant in Sylacauga (sihl-uh-KAW’-guh), Alabama, began producing ice cream in July. Production facilities in Brenham and Broken Arrow, Okla., are still undergoing upgrades similar to those made at the Alabama plant. Blue Bell in April voluntarily recalled all products after its treats were linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states, including three deaths in Kansas. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Report: Listeria found in Blue Bell ice cream from Alabama
Blue Bell Creameries is reviewing a laboratory report concluding that listeria was found in ice cream made at its Alabama plant. Seattle lawyer Bill Marler said a client of his from Florida had a carton of Blue Bell ice cream from her freezer tested by a private lab after her 75-year-old husband became ill with meningitis. Marler said Miami-based Kappa Laboratories tested the ice cream, which had been manufactured in Alabama. He shared a copy of the report with The Associated Press. The company says it is reviewing the report. Blue Bell issued a national recall after the company’s ice cream was linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states, and three deaths in Kansas. Listeria is one of several types of bacteria that can cause meningitis, particularly in older adults. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
