Blue Bell Recalls All Products After Listeria Outbreak
After receiving reports in several states of cases of Listeria occurring in individuals who consumed Blue Bell ice cream products, Blue Bell Creameries has recalled all of its products currently for sale throughout the United States. The Centers for Disease Control reports that a number of recent cases of Listeria, some fatal, have been linked to the ice cream manufacturer’s products, including those distributed in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as products sold in grocery and convenience stores. The tainted Blue Bell ice cream was believed to have been manufactured between February 12 and March 27, 2015, and distributed throughout Mississippi, as well as Arkansas, Louisiana, and twenty additional states across the U.S.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has begun to inspect Blue Bell manufacturing facilities in Texas and Oklahoma, and has found traces of a strain of Listeriosis bacteria on manufacturing equipment in the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma facility that is closely related to strains found in patients recently hospitalized for Listeriosis. In addition to the recall notice issued by Blue Bell, the FDA has issued a warning about Blue Bell products, advising customers to either throw away or return any recently purchased ice creams or novelties, even if part of the product was consumed without resulting in illness. If throwing away the product, customers are instructed to first seal it in a plastic bag to ensure that other people or animals do not eat the product and become ill.
Listeriosis is a bacterial infection that can be serious, and sometimes fatal, to those infected. Symptoms include muscle aches and pains, stomach pains, diarrhea, fever, and chills. While most cases of Listeriosis appear within a few days of consuming an infected product, an infected individual may not experience symptoms for up to a month. Certain individuals are at higher risk for experiencing a more serious or fatal case of Listeriosis, including children, the elderly, or individuals with weak immune systems or chronic medical conditions. Should a pregnant woman contract Listeriosis, the sickness could cause serious harm or death to a newborn baby, or miscarriage.
If you or a loved one has been made ill by a recalled Blue Bell Ice Cream product, contact Biloxi personal injury attorney Corban Gunn for a free legal consultation. You may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost work, or pain and suffering caused by illness resulting from consuming contaminated Blue Bell products, and you deserve to be made whole. Call 228.284.6805 from anywhere throughout the state of Mississippi, including Biloxi, Gulfport, McHenry, Diamondhead, Perkinston, Stone County, and along the Gulf Coast.
