For the first time in the company's 108 year-old history, there has been a Blue Bell Creameries recall, as the iconic brand's ice cream seemingly left the factory so contaminated with the Listeria bacteria that it ultimately caused three deaths in the United States.
Founded in 1908, the Texas-based company is the third largest-selling brand of ice cream in the entirety of the United States, even though it's only found in 23 states of the Union, though it's so popular it's even been consumed at Camp David and aboard the International Space Station - and now, they've issued their first-ever Blue Bell Creameries recall following a great scare in Kansas.
According to CBS Miami, the Blue Bell Creameries recall occurred after a total of five people in the state of Kansas developed listeriosis after eating the company's products from one of their production lines.
All five patients were being treated for other health issues at the Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita and, after consuming Blue Bell milkshakes, became ill with the bacteria.
Listeriosis, a bacterial infection, will attack the central nervous system by causing different infections like meningitis, brain abscesses and cerebritis; it can become so serious that it can ultimately lead to death, as it happened to the three Kansas patients' cases that led to the Blue Bell Creameries recall.
The website for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explains that, upon exploring the company's line, they found the Listeria bacteria in samples of these products: Vanilla Stick Slices, Great Divide Bars, No Sugar Added Moo Bars, Blue Bell Chocolate Chip County Cookies, Scoops, Sour Pop Green Apple Bars, Almond Bars and Cotton Candy Bars; the issue was what ultimately led to the massive Blue Bell Creameries recall.
NBC News reports that the contaminated products came from the company's facility in Brenham, Texas, but the Blue Bell Creameries recall doesn't include the majority of their "take-home frozen snack novelties."
