Ice cream lovers might have to take a break from Blue Bell.
Blue Bell Creameries announced Monday that it would recall all of its products due to a risk of Listeria infection — expanding on earlier recalls of select products.
This recall includes all Blue Bell ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and frozen snacks.
Several positive Listeria tests from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and several state health departments sparked the recall. Listeria is a bacteria that can cause illness marked by high fever, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea and headaches. In young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, it can be deadly. According to the company, three patients in Texas and five in Kansas were treated for this infection.
“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, in a press release. “We are heartbroken about this situation and apologize to all of our loyal Blue Bell fans and customers."
Blue Bell sells products 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," according to a company press release. People in these states should not eat any Blue Bell product and can return it to the store for a full refund.
Blue Bell said it plans to resume sale of its products after adding more testing and safety measures. These measures include testing each product before it is released to the market and adding more facility cleaning procedures.
The FDA has open, pending investigations at Blue Bell plants in three states.
