Blue Bell delivery trucks are parked at the creamery's location in Kansas City in April.
Orlin Wagner / AP
Blue Bell Creameries, which announced a nationwide recall of all its products in April because of the potential for listeria contamination, knew of the presence of the bacteria in production facilities as early as 2013 but failed to properly address the problem, federal documents show.
In inspection reports posted by the Food and Drug Administration, as well as those obtained by the Houston Chronicle, officials documented multiple instances in which Blue Bell's response to the presence of listeria in its production facilities was woefully inadequate.
Some of the contamination issues documented in an FDA inspection report earlier this year.
Food and Drug Administration / Via fda.gov
Records obtained Thursday by the Chronicle describe tests as far back as 2013 at the company's Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, plant that came back "presumptive positive" for listeria on surfaces like floors and pallets for ingredients. The records also showed a lack of testing on surfaces and equipment where contact with consumer products was more direct, and therefore, the danger of contamination the greatest.
Other records posted by the FDA document similar contamination prevention breakdowns at Blue Bell plants in Sylacauga, Alabama, and in Brenham, Texas.
Blue Bell Creameries first recalled several products in March after three people died in Kansas. As more people became ill from the same strain of listeria, the voluntary recall was eventually expanded to include of all ice cream and other products.
“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,” CEO Paul Kruse said in a statement at the time.
Shelves sit empty of Blue Bell ice cream at a grocery store in Dallas in April.
Lm Otero / AP
In a recall update posted on its website Thursday, Blue Bell said it had completed the major recall phase after collecting 8 million gallons of ice cream and other products from retailers in the U.S and abroad. Consumers who still have Blue Bell products were encouraged to dispose of them or return them to a local retailer for a refund.
The company also said that its plants in Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama, remained closed as crews continue to clean and sanitize each facility. The efforts include disassembling equipment, conducting extensive maintenance and repairs, and "conducting employee training in microbiology and sanitization," the company said.
Blue Bell also said it was reviewing all of its operating procedures and "every step of the production process" to eliminate possible contamination pathways.
In a statement, Kruse said there was no timeline for when production would restart.
“Unfortunately, we do not yet have a firm timeline for when Blue Bell Ice Cream will be back in stores, but we believe at this time that it will be several months at a minimum,” he said.
Blue Bell Creameries isn't the only ice cream company to institute recalls over fears of listeria contamination. In April, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream also recalled all of its products and halted production after a swab test on the spout of one of the Ohio company's production machines tested positive for the bacterial strain.
Read one of the Brenham, Texas, FDA inspection reports here:
Blue Bell Is Recalling All Of Its Products Over Listeria Fears
Blue Bell Ice Creams Linked To Multistate Outbreak Of Listeriosis: CDC
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Locates “Smoking Gun” In Listeria Outbreak
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1ETe1U9
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