The federal government on Tuesday warned Americans not to eat, sell or serve anything made by Blue Bell Creameries after the Texas ice cream maker voluntarily pulled all of their products off the market due to an ongoing threat of Listeria.
The move was made after company tests showed that half-gallon containers of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream produced at the company's Brenham, Tx. facility between March 17 and March 27 contained Listeria bacteria.
"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 are confident that they are all safe," said a statement from company CEO and president Paul Kruse.
"We have brought in one of the world’s most respected food safety microbiologists to inspect our plants and systems to help us get to the bottom of this issue,” Kruse added. “We are heartbroken about this situation and apologize to all of our loyal Blue Bell fans and customers."
The development continues a multi-year, multi-state investigation of Blue Bell products by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since January 2010, ten people in four states have been hospitalized with Listeria believed to have originated from contaminated Blue Bell products. They include three people in Kansas who later died. Other infections were reported in Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas.
The third leading cause food poisoning death in the U.S., Listeria infects roughly 1,600 Americans each year. Those at the highest risk for infection include seniors age 65 or older, pregnant women and their newborns and those with compromised or weak immune systems.
Symptoms include fever, stiff neck, vomiting, weakness and confusion. Antibiotics can cure the infection when given promptly and can prevent infections of fetuses.
Listeria can be found in soil, water, raw milk and food made with raw milk. It’s also found in animals such as poultry and cattle and can live in food-processing facilities.
Unlike other bacteria, Listeria can grow in refrigeration temperatures.
The CDC is asking people to avoid and discard all Blue Bell products, including ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and other frozen snacks.
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