Texas-based ice cream giant Blue Bell has halted production and distribution of eight products linked to a bacterium that causes severe illness, according to a release from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Five cases of Listeriosis were confirmed and treated at the same hospital in Kansas, with each patient having eaten Blue Bell ice cream products from Blue Bell's Brenham, TX headquarters. Three of those patients died.
The Associated Press reports that Listeriosis was not the direct cause of the deaths, but could have been a factor.
The South Carolina Health Department discovered the link when four strains of Listeria monocytogenes were found in Blue Bell products last month.
The Food and Drug Administration included the following products in a consumer advisory:
- Chocolate Chip Country Cookie
- Great Divide Bar
- Sour Pop Green Apple Bar
- Cotton Candy Bar
- Scoops
- Vanilla Stick Slices
- Almond Bar
- No Sugar Added Mooo Bar (regular Mooo Bars are not included)
Anyone who has purchased these products is urged not to eat them. Blue Bell cups, pints and half gallons were not included in the FDA's advisory.
According to the Texas DSHS, state lab tests of the Country Cookie, Great Divide and Scoops made in Brenham showed that those three products contained Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can lead to severe illnesses or death.
The other products listed by the FDA were produced on the same production line at the south Texas Blue Bell factory.
Texas inspects facilities like the Blue Bell headquarters monthly, according to the DSHS. None of the state's 21 confirmed Listeriosis cases in 2014-15 have been linked to Blue Bell products.
The FDA's website says the following regarding the symptoms of Listeriosis:
"Listeriosis is a rare but serious illness caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes. Anyone who experiences fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, or develops fever and chills after eating the ice cream should seek medical care and tell their health care provider about any history of eating the ice cream. Symptoms can appear from a few days up to a few weeks after consumption of the contaminated food."
LINK: FDA advisory
