A few months back, there was an outbreak of listeriosis due to contamination in several plants of the Brenham-based traditional southern ice cream makers, after a number of people got sick and a few even died from being contaminated with Blue Bell listeria - and now, workers tell horror stories about what happened inside plants.
Not long after the Blue Bell listeria scandal broke out, with the company issuing its first recall in over 100 years of history, the Food and Drugs Administration revealed that the company knew there were levels of contamination beforehand and did nothing, something that has now been corroborated by people who worked for Blue Bell Creameries.
In a series of reports from CBS News, former Blue Bell Creameries employees have revealed some of what went down in the company before the infamous Blue Bell listeria outbreak from earlier this year, as different sources claim the management completely ignored worker pleas about food safety ahead of the scandal.
According to Fortune Magazine, two former workers of the company (Terry Schultz and Gerald Bland) revealed that long before the Blue Bell listeria outbreak, there were complaints from employees about antiquated machinery that wasn't necessarily given the proper maintenance, besides horror stories of oil dripping into the food mixes and melted ice cream dripping all over the plant's floor because the management didn't want cleaning it away to slow down production.
Following the reports on the situation before the Blue Bell listeria outbreak, the company has said that they in fact take "the cleanliness of our facilities and the quality of our products very seriously."
"Over the years, we have welcomed an average of 200,000 visitors a year to tour our Brenham plant and see our operation for themselves," said the ice cream makers in a statement to KHOU regarding Blue Bell's listeria scandal. "Our employees, many of whom have worked with us for 20 or 30 years or more, are hardworking, dedicated individuals who are committed to producing the best ice cream possible. Our top priority and commitment is to produce high quality, safe, delicious ice cream for our customers."
