Blue Bell Creameries Suspends Operations at Plant Linked to Listeria Outbreak
The illnesses led to three deaths at a Wichita hospital.
— -- Blue Bell Creameries said Friday it has voluntarily suspended operations at its Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, manufacturing plant where ice cream contaminated with listeria was traced to last month.
The company announced in a statement that it was taking the action out of an “abundance of caution” to determine what caused the initial contamination.
Five people were sickened with listeria at a hospital in Wichita, Kansas, between January 2014 and January 2015 after eating ice cream products from Blue Bell Creamery. Three of the patients who were sickened at the Wichita hospital later died, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last month.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued a warning, recommending that people not eat any Blue Bell products made at the Oklahoma production facility.
The company has notified FDA of its action, and said it remains committed to “being transparent” with the federal agency.
Once it completes an investigation into the incident, the company said Friday the Broken Arrow plant will be reopened.
Blue Bell’s other manufacturing plants will continue normal operations during the investigation.
