

Clean any surfaces that may have touched the food with hot, soapy water. In the case of the Blue Bell products, there's nothing you can do-just throw it away. The ice cream can have a shelf life of up to two years. When you throw something away, place it in a closed plastic bag in a sealed trash can to prevent animals or other people from eating it. The company says it "cannot say with certainty" how the bacteria was introduced to its facilities. In past outbreaks, contamination has been the result of dirty equipment or unsanitary conditions in a plant. State and federal inspectors are still investigating the ice cream outbreak and have not released a cause. The company issued Monday's recall after two samples of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream tested positive for listeria. That follows more limited recalls of Blue Bell products made on production lines in Texas and Oklahoma after the ice cream was linked to eight illnesses, including three deaths, in Texas and Kansas.
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Healthy, younger adults and most children can consume listeria with no ill effects or mild illness.Īs of Monday, Blue Bell ice cream has recalled all of its products. It can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature labor, and serious illness or death in newborn babies. Listeria generally only affects the elderly, people with compromised immune systems and pregnant women. When a person contracts the disease, it can cause fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal symptoms and even death. It is commonly found in processed meats, unpasteurized cheeses and unpasteurized milk, and it is sometimes found in other foods as well-listeria in cantaloupes was linked to 30 deaths in a 2011 outbreak. It can be very hard to get rid of once it contaminates a processing facility, partly because it grows very well in refrigeration. Listeria is a hardy bacteria found in soil and water that can be carried by animals. Five other listeria illnesses in Kansas and Texas were linked to Blue Bell products as well.Ī look at the listeria bacteria and answers to questions that consumers may have: It follows several smaller Blue Bell recalls over the last month that the company initiated after its products were linked to three deaths at a Kansas hospital. The ice cream is a limited-run product but should be available through 2024.The recall announced late Monday includes ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and frozen snacks distributed in 23 states and abroad. We'll see.īlue Bell said pints and half-gallon sizes of Dr Pepper Float should be available in stores Thursday, though they said in replies to customers on Twitter that it could take several days to get the ice cream to all locations. I agree and I'm already wondering if putting two scoops in a soda glass and pouring even more Dr Pepper over the top is overkill or simply self-indulgent. “The best ice cream floats are made with Dr Pepper poured over a few scoops of Blue Bell,” said Jimmy Lawhorn, Blue Bell vice president, sales and marketing. “We can’t wait to provide our fans with another refreshing way to enjoy Dr Pepper.” “Our Texas heritage is so important to us at Dr Pepper, and we are excited to team up with fellow Texas-born brand, Blue Bell, to create this new delicious treat,” shared John Alvarado, senior vice president of Dr Pepper brand marketing. Two iconic Texas brands are joining together to fuse two classic flavors into one indulgent bite with the creation of Blue Bell's Dr Pepper Float flavored ice cream.īlue Bell, no stranger to unique combinations in ice cream, announced the new flavor Thursday describing it as "creamy vanilla ice cream swirled together with a Dr Pepper flavored sherbet."
