The FDA, CDC, and Blue Bell all issued public recall notifications on March 13, 2015. A second recall was announced on March 23, 2015, after subsequent tests confirmed listeria contamination in Blue Bell’s product made at its facility in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
“Americans deserve the highest standards of food safety and integrity”
In March and April 2015, FDA inspections revealed that Blue Bell had sanitation issues at its Brenham and Broken Arrow facilities. The ice cream manufacturer temporarily shut down both facilities took significant steps to improve its sanitation processes and implemented a program to test products for listeria before distribution.
“The health of American consumers and the safety of our food are too important to be thwarted by the criminal acts of any individual or company. Americans expect and deserve the highest standards of food safety and integrity. We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who put the public health at risk by distributing contaminated foods in the U.S. marketplace,” said FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, Judy McMeekin, Pharm.D
