Recall Alert: Singing the blues over Blue Bell

Say it ain’t so. Blue Bell Ice Cream being recalled? The very name, shared with a summer wildflower found throughout Texas, conjures up lazy summer days and fields of purple-blue flowers and old-fashioned porch swings and playgrounds and dripping ice cream cones enjoyed by children and adults alike. But things being what they are, the venerable frozen creamery company, operating out of the Lone Star State since 1907, the third highest-selling ice cream brand in the country, whose ice cream has been served at Camp David and aboard the International Space Station, has recalled several lines of products after the FDA found Listeria contamination in three lines of products from Blue Bell Creameries’ production plant in Brenham, Texas. This is the first recall ever in the company’s 108-year history. After a Listeriosis outbreak among five patients in a Kansas hospital last year (three of the patients died), a CDC investigation found the patients were all served Blue Bell ice cream products. Samples of the same products elsewhere found Listeria contamination, and these were eventually traced back to one machine in the Blue Bell plant. Only three product lines from that machine were found to have contamination, but Blue Bell Advertising and Public Relations Manager Joe Robertson said that all product lines from the machine were pulled off the market and will be permanently discontinued. The company is also getting rid of the machine. The affected product lines include: Chocolate Chip Country Cookie: SKU No. 196 Great Divide Bar: SKU No. 108 Sour Pop Green Apple Bar: SKU No. 221 Cotton Candy Bar: SKU No. 216 Scoops: SKU No. 117 Vanilla Stick Slices: SKU No. 964 Almond Bars: SKU No. 156 6 pack Cotton Candy Bars: SKU No. 245 6 pack Sour Pop Green Apple Bars: SKU No. 249 12 pack No Sugar Added Mooo Bars*: SKU No. 343 (Regular Mooo Bars, available in grocery stores, are unaffected, and remain safe) “This (recall) in no way includes our half gallons, quarts, pints, cups, three gallon ice cream or the majority of take-home frozen snack novelties,” Robertson added. Listeriosis is a rare but serious illness caused by eating food contaminated with Listeria moncytogenes. Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Anyone who develops chills and fever after eating ice cream should seek medical care. Elderly people, newborns and those with weakened immune systems are especially at risk. The illness can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and premature labor among pregnant women. Consumers who have any of the recalled products in their freezers or refrigerators should throw them away immediately or take them back to the point of purchase. Listeria can grow and multiply even at refrigeration temperature, so the inside walls and shelves of refrigerators should be cleaned and sanitized with one tablespoon of chlorine bleach to one gallon of hot water. Cutting boards, countertops, dishes and utensils that may have come in contact with ice cream should be sanitized the same way. Continuing to wipe up refrigerator spills as they occur and cleaning out the fridge regularly will help curb the threat of food-borne illness, as will washing the hands with warm soapy water before handling any food items. The FDA encourages consumers with questions about food safety to call 1-888-SAFEFOOD Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time, or visit the website http://www.fda.gov(/defaulthtm). For more information about Listeria specifically, go to (http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/listeria/index.html) or (http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/listeria/index.html)