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Blue Bell's Great Divide ice cream bars are one of a number of its products recalled after a listeria outbreak.
Has the news of the Blue Bell ice cream recall made you second guess your week night plans to cry into a pint of Cookies 'n Cream? Company officials from the Brenham-based creamery are reassuring customers that products sold in grocery stores are safe to consume.
Last Friday, Blue Bell issued its first-ever recall after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that its products were linked to an outbreak of listeriosis in Wichita, Kansas, hospital. Five patients at Christi St. Francis hospital contracted the life-threatening bacterial infection, three of which who have died. An investigation reveals the likely culprit is Blue Bell's Scoops, a pre-packed, single serving ice cream product the hospital used to prepare milkshakes for its patients. In total the company has recalled 10 of its products, all of which are sold exclusively to the food service industry outlets like restaurants and hospitals. None of the Texas ice cream makers grocery store products, such as its pint and half-gallon ice creams, seem to be affected by the contamination.
Over the weekend, KHOU reported that the outbreak can be linked to a single machine at Blue Bell's facility in Brenham, according to tests conducted by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The company has already shut down the production line and removed all 10 products from the consumer market. Production lines used to prepare the company's popular grocery products did not test positive for listeria contamination. Here's a complete list of recalled products.
- Chocolate Chip Country Cookie SKU #196
- Great Divide Bar SKU #108
- Sour Pop Green Apple Bar SKU #221
- Cotton Candy Bar SKU # 216
- Scoops SKU #117
- Vanilla Stick Slices SKU #964
- Almond Bars SKU #156
- 6-pack Cotton Candy Bars SKU #245
- 6-pack Sour Pop Green Apple Bars SKU #249
- 12-pack No Sugar Added Mooo Bars SKU #343
