Ice Cream Linked to Three Listeriosis Deaths
Blue Bell announced the products were made on a single production line in Brenham, Texas, and it has stopped production and distribution of ice cream products from that line and has removed them from stores and any other retail outlets.
Brenham, Texas-based ice cream company Blue Bell has made the first recall in its 108-year history after health authorities linked five cases of Listeriosis in adult patients at a Kansas hospital to some of its products. Three of the patients have died.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported that CDC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment confirmed five patients were infected with one of four rare strains of Listeria monocytogenes, and three of these strains, which are highly similar, were found in products manufactured at the Blue Bell Creameries production facility in Brenham. The illness onset dates ranged from January 2014 to January 2015.
Blue Bell's announcement on its website said FDA's notice was issued March 13, and that the products came from a single production line in Brenham. "Blue Bell has stopped production and distribution of ice cream products from that line and has removed them from stores and any other retail outlets. The advisory does not include Blue Bell cups, pints or half gallons," it stated.