Blue Bell Ice Cream Expands Recall Over Listeria Concerns
Blue Bell Ice Cream has expanded the recall of its ice cream products in an attempt to avoid the potential risk for bacterial contamination.
The recall now includes individual three-ounce serving cups in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors that may potentially be contaminated with listeria. The Blue Bell ice cream products were distributed to 23 different states, and shipped to food service outlets rather than grocery stores or convenience stores, company officials said, Inquisitr reported.
Blue Bell Ice Cream initiated the first recall on March 13, encompassing 10 different types of ice cream. The decision was made after a cup of Blue Bell chocolate ice cream had tested positive for listeria. The report came from the Kansas Department of Health & Environment and was based on an ice cream product from a Kansas hospital. Five people who had been treated at the same facility were sickened by the listeria bacterium, and three of those patients died, according to Inquisitr.
The initial recall applied only to products made at Blue Bell’s Texas plant, but that has been expanded to include products made at other manufacturing plants owned by the company. The most recent positive test came from the company’s Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, plant, Inquisitr reported.
Listeria causes an illness known as listeriosis, the symptoms of which include fever, muscle pain and gastrointestinal problems. Older people, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women are particularly susceptible to infection. Listeriosis can cause miscarriage in pregnant women.
