A private laboratory has found traces of listeria in Blue Bell's Alabama manufacturing plant. The revelation comes months after the ice cream maker issued a recall of its products after 10 cases of listeria were reported in several states and three people in Kansas died because of it.
At the time these incidents happened, only Blue Bell facilities in Texas and Oklahoma were contaminated. But with the latest findings from the private laboratory, it looks like even its Alabama facility in Sylacauga was also affected.
"We have just had this situation brought to our attention, and we of course take all such matters very seriously," said Blue Bell via statement, according to Fox News. "We are reviewing the third-party lab report we have received, but because this overall situation involves litigation, we are not able to discuss any details of the matter."
In April, Florida consumer Brent McRae, 75, reportedly contacted meningitis at the height of the outbreak. His wife sent a half-gallon container of Blue Bell's Cookies n' Cream, which McRae ate before becoming sick, to a laboratory in Miami for testing. The laboratory found it positive for listeria. The product code on the container indicated that it came from the Alabama plant.
McRae is still considering suing the company, said his lawyer said, but health officials still have to determine if his illness is connected to the listeria scare.
"Our understanding is that, based on the type of testing done, it will not be possible to compare it to the strains in the Blue Bell outbreak to say whether or not this is related. We remain in contact with state health departments to assist," said Christine Pearson of the CDC, according to Inquisitr.
Meanwhile, with summer heating up and Blue Bell's production being halted due to these incidents, other ice cream manufacturers, like Dreyer's and Ben & Jerry's, are seizing the opportunity in the market.
"We're getting contacted almost daily by different groups and organizations that usually use Blue Bell products about using us instead," said Ken Willis, who runs Denton's Beth Marie's Old Fashioned Ice Cream, according to Denton Record Chronicle. "We're making it a point to try and take advantage of it the best we can, and, hopefully, we'll get to keep a fair amount of the customers we're gaining."
"We realize that Blue Bell is a powerful brand, and we look forward to the reintroduction, so we'll make space to bring it back in the market," said Kroger's Gary Huddleston, which has Kroger Private Selection ice creams. "Based upon sales, we'll see how much space we make for Blue Bell in our stores."
