Fast Facts:
- New FDA report shows Listeria was present in the Broken Arrow, OK Blue Bell processing plant as early as March 2013;
- Blue Bell was notified of its “improper cleaning” and continued to ship from the facility;
- To date three deaths have been linked to the 2015 Listeria ice cream outbreak;
- At least 10 people have developed listeriosis in conjunction with this outbreak;
- Last month Blue Bell recalled all of its products and stopped manufacturing.
Earlier today the FDA released its inspection reports on the three Blue Bell production facilities in Alabama, Texas, and Oklahoma. These reports revealed some very disturbing news, principally the known presence of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma facility dating back to 2013.
Each of the facilities received citations for multiple infractions, including, but not limited to, the following:
- failure to maintain building conditions, allowing condensate to drip directly into ice cream products;
- failure of workers to wear proper protective attire, resulting in an employee’s soiled shirt coming into contact with the product; and
- failure to perform microbial testing, where, necessary to identify sanitation failures and possible food contamination.
The most egregious of these infractions is Observation 3 of the Broken Arrow report, where Listeria was found to be present in five no-food-contact locations in 2013 and 10 samples in 2014. The report reads:
“You failed to demonstrate your cleaning and sanitizing program is effective in controlling recurring microbiological contaminations. You continued to have presumptive positive environmental test results for Listeria spp. and elevated total coliform results following the daily cleaning and sanitizing treatments of your equipment and facilities.”
Bad news for Blue Bell, who has been attempting to salvage their reputation and their clientele through several apologies via press release. Listeria was found present within the facility and the company continued to ship products from that plant even after it was cited by the FDA for improper cleaning.
Our Bad Bug Law Team is representing several people who developed listeriosis after eating Blue Bell ice cream. You can click here now if you want a FREE consultation with an attorney at our law firm.