Blue Bell Recall Expands to Include Everything

Blue Bell Ice Cream fans might want to check their freezers.

The Texas-based company has issued a voluntary recall of all of its products manufactured at all of its facilities because of a potential for Listeria contamination. Listeria is a potentially fatal organism that causes fever, headaches, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

The recall, announced Monday, includes ice cream, frozen yogurt, frozen snacks and sherbet. As Blue Bell explained in a media release, the recall covers “all of its products currently on the market made at all of its facilities.” It is an expansion of earlier recalls that only affected products made at the company’s Oklahoma plant.

Products included in the widespread recall have been distributed to retail outlets, including grocery stores, convenience stores and food service accounts in Florida and a host of other states such as Georgia, Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

See Also:

• Blue Bell Recall Reaches Florida
• Tainted Wine List: The Alleged Arsenic-Poisoned Wines

“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,” Paul Kruse, Blue Bell CEO and president, was quoted in the release as saying. “We are heartbroken about this situation and apologize to all of our loyal Blue Bell fans and customers. Our entire history has been about making the very best and highest quality ice cream and we intend to fix this problem. We want enjoying our ice cream to be a source of joy and pleasure, never a cause for concern, so we are committed to getting this right.”

Monday’s decision to pull all products from the market was based on a sampling of products manufactured in mid- to late-March. Several samples tested positive for listeria, prompting the sweeping move, the company reported.

Blue Bell Ice Cream enjoyed more than a 100-year run without a single recall until issues arose in the Broken Arrow, Okla., plant in March.

Consumers who have purchased Blue Bell products may take them back to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information about the recall, call 1-866-608-3940 Mondays through Fridays between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. central time or on Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

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