After Listeria Outbreak, Blue Bell Testing New Production Processes

Blue Bell Creameries has started ice cream production trial runs in Alabama three months after a listeria scare halted all sales.

The Brenham, Texas-based company said it is evaluating enhanced production processes at its plant in Sylacauga, Ala. In a statement Blue Bell said the limited production runs will test the effectiveness of new procedures, facility enhancements and employee training. After the trial period, the company will begin building inventory to resume commercial sales.

“We have been working diligently to prepare our facilities to resume test production, and our focus throughout this process has been to ensure the public that when our products return to market, they are safe,” Greg Bridges, vice president of operations for Blue Bell, said.

Blue Bell notified health officials in early June of its plans for the test production, which began July 22.

Company officials said production facilities in three states have undergone changes that include replacing floors and ceilings, and modifying HVAC systems.

Blue Bell products were linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states, including three deaths in Kansas, before a recall that began last spring.

Listeria is a bacteria that can cause serious illness, especially in older adults, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems.

In June Blue Bell said it had likely identified the source of listeria contamination at its Oklahoma plant, but it may not be able to pinpoint a single source for the problem at its Texas plant.

The Texas-based company gave the information to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in response to federal inspections. The FDA publicly released the 35-page report in response to a Freedom of Information request by The Associated Press.

Blue Bell said ice cream products at its facility in Broken Arrow, Okla., might have been contaminated by equipment and sealed-ingredient buckets stored in a non-sanitary room. But a contamination source hasn’t been found at its plant in Brenham, Texas.

State health records reviewed following the Blue Bell ice cream listeria outbreak show that a quarter of Texas cases involving the foodborne illness are not recorded or tracked.

Research by the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response also show that most state health department in the U.S. are missing samples in 10 to 40 percent of confirmed listeria cases.

Experts say health officials could have identified the Blue Bell outbreak sooner had reporting requirements around the country been better.

Blue Bell has not said when sales will resume. But the company has revealed that Texas billionaire Sid Bass will lend the company up to $125 million, and that the investment is essential for the popular ice-cream maker to remain in business, according to a published report.