Blue Bell Creameries has resumed production of its famous ice cream in its Sylacauga, Ala. plant about three months after it issued a national recall in April and pulled out its products from stores all over the U.S. because of Listeria contamination.
The creamery's Alabama plant started ice cream production on July 20 under a "test and hold" policy agreement with the Alabama Department of Public Health, which means products made at the plant will be held and tested until they pass the required standards, Alabama Media Group reports.
So far, health officials conducting inspections at the plant have reported negative test results, and the state health department has officially given Blue Bell products from its Alabama plant a "no restrictions" status.
The Alabama Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that Blue Bell can start the production and sale of ice cream from its plant in Sylacauga, ABC News reports.
Ron Dawsey, deputy director for the state's Bureau of Environmental Services, confirmed the plant is cleared for operations. "All products meet our standards for dessert product production," Dawsey said, according to the Alabama Media Group.
However, this does not clear Blue Bell's plant in Broken Arrow, Okla. nor its flagship plant in Brenham, Texas. The ice cream company tweeted last month that it will start production at its Alabama plant because it is smaller than its flagship plant, allowing them to implement improvements faster.
The reason is because it is a smaller facility than our Brenham plant, which has allowed us to complete our improvements there sooner.
— Blue Bell Ice Cream (@ILoveBlueBell) July 9, 2015
In July, Texas billionaire Sid Bass purchased a stake in the ice cream company, which gives the Bass family a one-third stake in Blue Bell. Bass also invested up to $125 million in the company, ABC News reports.
Blue Bell CEO Paul Kruse said Bass' investment is instrumental in ensuring the company's ice cream products will return to the stores, WFAA reports.
No date has been announced for when the famous ice cream products will be available on the market.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the details of our return! — Blue Bell Ice Cream (@ILoveBlueBell) August 5, 2015
"We are still finalizing our distribution plan, and do not have a date when our products will return to market," Blue Bell spokeswoman Jenny Van Dorf said. She added that the company has not set a date on when production at the Brenham and Broken Arrow plants will resume, ABC News reports.
