After listeria contamination lead to the closing of four plants and a total product recall—you remember that—Blue Bell Creameries announced that they will begin testing production in upcoming weeks.
On Wednesday the company notified the FDA that they will resume production on a "limited" basis at their Sylacauga, AL plant. The ice cream produced during this period will be highly monitored and inspected. Should the trials indicate that improvement has been made to procedures and employee training, Blue Bell ice cream will be prepared for a return to your supermarket. According to the company's website, there is no set date for the testing to begin.
Three deaths and seven illnesses were reported back in April when the listeria-contaminated ice cream was available for purchase.
Greg Bridges, vice president of operations at Blue Bell, expressed the company's confidence in the measures they have taken since the recall, saying, "our focus throughout this process has been to ensure the public that when our products return to market, they are safe."
Though the fiasco definitely cost the 108-year-old brand, in both loss of customers and their reputation, we're willing to bet there are plenty of loyal Blue Bell followers just itching to get their hands on one of those cartons again. Like this guy...
UPDATE: August 5, 6 p.m.
Blue Bell just got the official go-ahead to resume production at its Sylacauga, Alabama facility. After conducting multiple inspections and product testing negative for listeria, the state's Department of Public Health has released restrictions on the sale of Blue Bell products made at that plant. The company officially began production on July 20, but has been working under a "test and hold" policy, not releasing products and instead testing them for the harmful bacteria. Now that trial period is over and customers can expect to see pints back in stores in the coming months—or even the next few weeks, according to the brand's Facebook page.
UPDATE: August 12, 11:20 a.m.
Now that production has been given the go-ahead, the Texas-based company is now shipping ice cream to grocery stores. Taking to Facebook, the brand announced yesterday "Our trucks are on the road again. And yes, they are filled with ice cream!" That means you can expect to start digging into pints very soon, though an exact date and list of locations is yet to be revealed.
UPDATE: August 18, 11 a.m.
Blue Bell Creameries has officially announced its return to stores, which will begin August 31. Part of a five-phase process, the first pints will be available in the Brenham, Houston, and Austin, Texas areas as well Birmingham and Montgomery in Alabama. After that, a second phase will bring ice cream to North Central Texas and Southern Oklahoma, phase three to Southwest Texas and Central Oklahoma, phase four to the remainder of Texas and Southern Louisiana, and the final phase to all of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, and parts of Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Basically, your Labor Day plans just got sweeter.
UPDATE: August 25, 12:50 p.m.
First it was just plain Jane vanilla slowing making its way back to grocery stores, according to Blue Bell's Facebook page. Now the ice-cream company has announced that its customer favorite Dutch Chocolate will be on sale at select locations—per the information above—as early as next week. Get your spoons ready, people!
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