On March 13, 2015, Blue Bell Creameries reported removing the “Scoops” ice cream product and other products made on the same production line from the market. PFGE was performed on the Listeria isolated from the ice cream samples; seven different PFGE patterns were identified and uploaded to PulseNet. As a result, this person was included as a case in the outbreak. institutional/food service chocolate ice cream cups. A Texas ice cream company has pleaded guilty to distributing contaminated goods and its former CEO has been charged with conspiracy and attempted wire fraud in connection to a 2015 listeria outbreak that left three people dead, federal prosecutors announced Friday. We apologize to everyone who was impacted, including our customers, our employees and the communities where we live and work. On April 7, 2015, Blue Bell Creameries announced a third product recallExternal that included banana pudding ice cream pints and other products made on the same line that were produced between February 12, 2015 and March 27, 2015 at their Oklahoma facility. Three deaths were reported in … Market data provided by ICE Data Services. In response to the findings in South Carolina, the Texas Department of State Health Services collected product samples from the Blue Bell Creameries production facility in Brenham, Texas. Results of this testing will be reported once they are available. Blue Bell allegedly distributed ice cream products that were made in unsanitary conditions and that were contaminated with listeria, according to the plea agreement. DNA “fingerprinting” is performed on Listeria bacteria isolated from ill people using techniques called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). One additional isolate from a patient with listeriosis is undergoing further molecular laboratory testing to determine whether this illness may be related to this outbreak. institutional/food service ice cream cupsExternal (with tab lids) of the following flavors: chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. "We faced a situation our company had never dealt with before, and our agreement with the government reflects that we should have handled many things differently and better. institutional/food service ice cream cups, Advice to Consumers, Institutions & Retailers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED), Actualizaciones anteriores de la investigación del brote, Outbreak of Listeria Infection Linked to Pork Products, Outbreak of Listeria Infection Linked to Pork Products ở Việt Nam [PDF – 328 KB], Brote de infecciones por Listeria vinculado a productos de carne de cerdo elaborados, Outbreak of Listeria Infections Linked to Deli Ham, Brote de infecciones por Listeria vinculado a jamón, Soft Raw Milk Cheese Made by Vulto Creamery, Recall & Advice to Consumers and Retailers, Packaged Salads Produced at Dole Ohio Facility, Recall & Advice to Consumers, Restaurants, and Retailers. Listeria monocytogenes isolates with four other PFGE patterns were also isolated from the ice cream samples. PulseNet is the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC. The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s (KDA) laboratory isolated Listeria monocytogenes from a previously unopened, single-serving Blue Bell brand 3 oz. Four of these six patients had been hospitalized in Texas for unrelated problems before developing listeriosis. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control isolated Listeria monocytogenes from the following Blue Bell brand single-serving ice cream products collected from a distribution center in 2015: Chocolate Chip Country Cookie Sandwiches and Great Divide Bars. This complicated investigation of a listeriosis outbreak involved serious. Ice cream manufacturer Blue Bell Creameries has been hit a $17.25 million fine for causing a massive listeria outbreak in 2015. These products are frozen, so consumers, institutions, and retailers should check their freezers. Copyright © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. WGS gives a more detailed DNA fingerprint than PFGE. Testing by Texas health officials yielded Listeria isolates from some samples of the same two products tested by South Carolina and from another Blue Bell ice cream product called “Scoops.” This product was made on the same production line as the Chocolate Chip Country Cookie Sandwiches and Great Divide Bars. However, people could continue to get sick because recalled products may still be in people’s freezers and consumers unaware of the recalls could eat them. This contaminated product was produced in the same facility but on a different line from the 3 oz. These cups are sold to institutions, which may include schools, nursing homes, and hospitals; according to Blue Bell Creameries, they are not sold through retail outlets, such as convenience stores or supermarkets. On April 3, 2015, CDC reported that illnesses might be linked to ice cream made in Blue Bell Creameries’ Oklahoma facility, but lacked sufficient information to include them as cases in the outbreak at the time. Eight people with Listeria infections related to this outbreak have been confirmed from two states: Kansas (5) and Texas (3). Blue Bell recalled products after its ice cream was linked to 10 listeria cases in four states, including three deaths in Kansas. Illness onset dates ranged from January 2010 through January 2015. Investigation to determine whether these illnesses are related to exposure to Blue Bell products is ongoing. This advice is particularly important for consumers at higher risk for listeriosis, including pregnant women, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems. This outbreak investigation is over. Blue Bell announced this recall after sampling by the company revealed that Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream half gallons produced on March 17, 2015 and March 27, 2015 contained the bacteria. Several strains of Listeria monocytogenes are involved in this outbreak. Three deaths were reported from Kansas. Read the Advice to Consumers, Institutions, and Retailers. In response to the findings in South Carolina, the Texas Department of State Health Services collected product samples from the Blue Bell Creameries production facility in Brenham, Texas. Illness onset dates ranged from January 2010 through January 2015. On April 21, CDC reported that whole genome sequencing confirmed that the people from Arizona (1) and Oklahoma (1) were part of the outbreak, bringing the total case count to 10. Isolates from four of these people were highly related to each other by whole genome sequencing. According to the indictment, Texas state officials notified Blue Bell in February 2015 that two ice cream products from the company’s Brenham, Texas, factory tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a dangerous pathogen that can lead to serious illness or death in vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. These samples yielded Listeria monocytogenes from the same two products tested by South Carolina and also from the ice cream Scoops, which is made on the same production line. CDC recommends that consumers do not eat recalled products and that institutions and retailers do not sell or serve them. Three strains of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from the ice cream samples had PFGE patterns that were indistinguishable from those of Listeria bacteria obtained from samples from four patients. Whole genome sequences of their Listeria monocytogenes strains were nearly identical to Listeria strains isolated from ice cream produced at the Blue Bell Creameries’ Oklahoma facility. On April 3, 2015, Blue Bell Creameries reported that they had voluntarily suspended operationsExternal at their Oklahoma production facility. The pattern is rare. Three deaths were reported from Kansas. CDC searched the PulseNet database and identified six patients with listeriosis between 2010 and 2014 who had Listeria isolates with PFGE patterns indistinguishable from those of Listeria isolated from Blue Bell brand 3 oz. However, people could continue to get sick because recalled products may still be in people’s freezers and consumers unaware of the recalls could eat them. Cluster 1 consists of five patients reported from Kansas during January 2014 through January 2015 who were all hospitalized at a single hospital for unrelated problems before developing listeriosis. Further whole genome sequencing of Listeria monocytogenes isolates obtained from the ice cream is in progress. Whole genome sequencing of the Listeria monocytogenes isolates obtained from the ice cream is in progress. Although some of the illnesses occurred more than a year before this investigation began, all four people with available information consumed milkshakes made with the “Scoops” Blue Bell ice cream product while they were in the hospital. illnesses from 2010 through 2015 linked to two Blue Bell production facilities. institutional/food service chocolate ice cream cups collected from the company’s Oklahoma facilityExternal have also yielded Listeria monocytogenes strains. institutional/food service ice cream cupsExternal previously recalled. On April 20, 2015, Blue Bell Creameries voluntarily recalledExternal all of its products currently on the market made at all of its facilities, including ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, and frozen snacks, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Blue Bell Creameries has recalled two flavors of cookie dough ice cream from 10 states that may be contaminated with Listeria, a bacteria that can cause severe food poisoning. Three deaths were reported from Kansas. institutional/food service chocolate ice cream cup, 3 oz. On May 7, 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released the findings from recent inspections at the Blue Bell production facilities in. Blue Bell Creameries has reported removing from the market the Scoops ice cream product and other products made on the same production line. WGS gives a more detailed DNA fingerprint than PFGE. The Blue Bell Listeria outbreak and fallout In early 2015, Blue Bell Creameries, one of the country’s largest ice cream manufacturers, suffered a listeria outbreak. institutional/food service chocolate ice cream cups collected from the company’s Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, facilityExternal also yielded Listeria. The information available at this time indicates that certain Blue Bell brand ice cream products are the source of this outbreak. According to a … Texas ice cream maker Blue Bell Creameries has been ordered to pay $17.25 million in criminal penalties for the 2015 deadly listeria outbreak that … As of April 21, 2015, a total of ten patients infected with several strains of Listeria monocytogenes were reported from four states: Arizona (1), Kansas (5), Oklahoma (1), and Texas (3). All ill people were hospitalized. Pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccines: What you need to know, California Privacy/Information We Collect. On April 8, 2015, CDC reported that whole genome sequencing confirmed that three of the four isolates from people in Texas were nearly identical to Listeria strains isolated from ice cream produced at Blue Bell Creameries’ Oklahoma facility. Saving Lives, Protecting People, Advice to Consumers, Institutions, and Retailers, 3 oz. AND BLUE BELL ICE CREAM. Prosecutors allege that Kruse schemed to deceive Blue Bell customers by directing employees to remove potentially contaminated products from store freezers without alerting grocers and consumers as to why. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. However, epidemiologic evidence, including acquiring infection at the same hospital as the other patients and consumption of the ice cream products, suggests that this illness may be related. Three deaths were reported from Kansas (3). None of the four people in Texas died from Listeria infection. Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. CS257655B. CDC recommends that consumers do not eat products that Blue Bell Creameries recalledExternal or removed from the market, and institutions and retailers should not serve or sell them. 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BRENHAM, Texas — Blue Bell Creameries has issued a voluntary recall for two flavors of its ice cream due to possible listeria contamination.. Contaminated ice cream products may still be in the freezers of consumers, institutions, and retailers, given that these products can have a shelf life of up to 2 years. Blue Bell, headquartered in Brenham, adopted its current protocol after recalling its ice cream and halting production as a result of contamination linked to 10 listeria cases last spring. Blue Bell halted production in April 2015 after 10 people in four states were hospitalized after eating Listeria-tainted ice cream. A total of five people were infected, and the ice cream has been recalled. All ten (100%) patients were hospitalized. Invoices provided by the hospital to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment indicate that the Blue Bell brand ice cream Scoops used in the patients’ milkshakes came from Blue Bell Creamery’s facility in Texas. Listeria can cause a serious, life-threatening illness. T hree people in Kansas have died after eating contaminated Blue Bell Creameries brand ice cream products. Powered and implemented by FactSet. PulseNet manages a national database of these DNA fingerprints to identify possible outbreaks of enteric illness. All 10 (100%) people were hospitalized. Those include enhanced sanitation at its three manufacturing facilities; creating a separate hygiene department; restructuring its quality assurance and control departments; and implementing a testing program to spot warning signs of listeria. CDC recommends that consumers do not eat any Blue Bell brand products, and that institutions and retailers do not serve or sell them. On April 20, 2015, Blue Bell Creameries voluntarily recalledExternal all products currently on the market made at all of its facilities, including ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, and frozen snacks.Blue Bell announced this recall after sampling by the company revealed that Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream half gallons produced on March 17, 2015, and March 27, 2015, contained Listeria. Institutions should not serve and retailers should not sell recalled products. On March 23, 2015, the company recalled 3 oz. Based on the information CDC has at this time, we recommend that consumers do not eat any Blue Bell brand products made at the company’s Oklahoma facility and that retailers and institutions do not sell or serve them. In addition, CDC recommends that consumers do not eat any products that Blue Bell Creameries recalled or removed from the market . This outbreak investigation is over. Information indicates that various Blue Bell brand products produced in facilities in Texas and Oklahoma are the source of this outbreak. Although some illnesses occurred more than a year ago, the cluster was identified in March 2015 after health officials noted that two patients who had been in the same hospital were infected with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria that were indistinguishable by PFGE. Information available for one person indicated that they consumed ice cream in a Texas hospital before developing listeriosis; the Texas Department of State Health Services reported that the hospital had received Blue Bell brand ice cream cups. Early tax filing might help, Fewer Americans might get a $1,400 stimulus check. Blue Bell Creameries has reported removing from the market the Scoops ice cream product and other products made on the same production line, which the company has reportedly shut down. These ice cream products were distributed in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming via select stores and food service accounts. The fine, issued by a … Listeriosis is a life-threatening infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium (germ). Invoices provided by the hospital to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment indicate that the Blue Bell brand ice cream Scoops used in the patients’ milkshakes came from Blue Bell Creamery’s facility in Texas. Listeria isolates from ice cream cup samples were indistinguishable from each other by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), but were different from those isolated from patients in Kansas and from other Blue Bell brand ice cream products previously sampled in Texas and South Carolina. Capobianco Ice cream is undoubtedly one of the globes favorite desserts. Illness onset dates for the five patients ranged from January 2014 through January 2015. institutional/food service chocolate ice cream cupExternal collected from the Kansas hospital involved in the outbreak. On April 20, 2015, Blue Bell Creameries voluntarily. Blue Bell recalled products after its ice cream was linked to 10 listeria cases in four states, including three deaths in Kansas. Three deaths have been reported. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. This was a complex multistate outbreak investigation of listeriosis cases occurring over several years. Three strains of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from the ice cream samples had PFGE patterns that were indistinguishable from those of Listeria bacteria obtained from samples from four patients, and whole genome sequencing subsequently also showed that the strains were highly related to those isolated from four patients. Listeria monocytogenes was recently found in a cup of ice cream recovered from the hospital. Illness onset dates ranged from January 2010 through January 2015. institutional/food service ice cream cups of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla flavors made at their Oklahoma facility. In addition, the PFGE pattern was not identified in any ice cream samples. Kruse's lawyer, Chris Flood, said his client is innocent and that he and other Blue Bell employees "did the best they could with the information they had at the time. These samples yielded Listeria monocytogenes from the same two products tested by South Carolina and also from the ice cream Scoops, which is made on the same production line. Blue Bell Creameries agreed to pay more than $19 million in fines and forfeiture as part of a plea agreement on two misdemeanor counts for shipping contaminated ice cream, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. When might you get Biden's $1,400 stimulus check? The charges stem from a listeria contamination that Blue Bell Creameries told federal inspectors it believed spread through a drainage system at an Oklahoma plant. These products were recalled by Blue Bell Creameries on March 13, 2015. Listeria monocytogenes isolates with four other PFGE patterns were also isolated from the ice cream samples. Blue Bell brand products made at the Oklahoma facility can be identified by checking for letters “O,” “P,” “Q,” “R,” “S,” and “T” following the “code date” printed on the bottom of the product package. institutional/food service ice cream cups, a recall of 3 oz. One patient’s Listeria monocytogenes strain has a PFGE pattern that does not match any identified in an ice cream sample. The contaminated products may be in the freezers of consumers, retailers, and institutions. On March 22, 2015, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported that Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from a previously unopened, single-serving Blue Bell brand 3 oz. The company subsequently recalled 8 million gallons of ice cream. Texas-based ice cream manufacturer Blue Bell Creameries L.P. agreed to plead guilty to charges it shipped contaminated products linked to a 2015 listeriosis outbreak, and the company’s former president was charged in connection with a scheme to cover up the incident, the Justice Department announced today. Kansas. Listeria isolated from the fifth person was not related to isolates from the other four ill people. Blue Bell voluntarily suspended operations at an Oklahoma production facility in 2015 after three people died in Kansas from eating ice cream products contaminated with listeria… In addition, CDC continues to recommend that consumers do not eat any products that Blue Bell Creameries recalled. Listeria can cause a serious, life-threatening illness. The case was filed in a federal court in Austin. It was forced to lay off 1,450 employees, or more than a third of its workforce. institutional/food service ice cream cups (with tab lids) of several flavors produced at the company’s Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, facilityExternal. In an unrelated investigation, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control isolated Listeria monocytogenes from the following Blue Bell brand single-serving ice cream products collected from a distribution center in 2015: Chocolate Chip Country Cookie Sandwiches and Great Divide Bars. © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. CDC recommends that consumers do not eat products that Blue Bell Creameries removed from the market, and institutions and retailers should not serve or sell them. State and local health officials, CDC, and FDA continue to work closely on this investigation, and new information will be provided on this website as it becomes available. All five ill people are older adults, and three are women. However, this person was part of a recognized illness cluster at the hospital and consumed milkshakes made with “Scoops” while hospitalized. These three people were added to the case count for the outbreak, bringing the total to 8. This is a complex and ongoing multistate investigation of listeriosis occurring over an extended period. Several PFGE patterns (strains) of Listeria were involved in this outbreak. In February 2015, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control isolated Listeria as part of routine sampling from Blue Bell brand single-serving ice cream products collected from a distribution center: Chocolate Chip Country Cookie Sandwiches and Great Divide Bars. The recall was announced within days of returning to grocery stores in three states after a deadly outbreak of Listeria last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website. Commercially Produced, Prepackaged Caramel Apples, Recall & Advice to Consumers and Cheese Retailers, Imported Frescolina Marte Brand Ricotta Salata Cheese, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. ", "Five years ago, we were heartbroken about the events that led to our voluntary recall of all our ice cream from the market," Blue Bell said in a statement on Friday. Contaminated ice cream products may still be in the freezers of consumers, institutions, and retailers, given that these products can have a shelf life of up to 2 years. Listeria can cause a serious, life-threatening illness. Former CEO Paul Kruse was charged with seven felonies for allegedly concealing what the company knew about the listeria contamination. Blue Bell ice cream has temporarily shut down one of its manufacturing plants over the discovery of listeria contamination in a serving of ice cream originating from that plant. Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that were part of this outbreak. Three deaths were reported from Kansas. That day, Blue Bell Creameries reported that they had voluntarily suspended operations at their facility in Oklahoma. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All 10 (100%) people were hospitalized. On March 22, 2015, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported that Listeria was isolated from a previously unopened, single-serving Blue Bell brand 3 oz. CDC and state and local public health partners are continuing laboratory surveillance through PulseNet to identify any additional ill persons whose illnesses may be related to this outbreak. The cup contaminated with the bacteria was produced at the … KDA also tested environmental samples from the hospital kitchen, but none yielded Listeria monocytogenes. Information gathered as part of the investigation indicated that various Blue Bell brand products were the source of this outbreak of listeriosis. The five ill people included in this outbreak investigation have been reported from KansasExternal and were each infected with one of four strains of Listeria monocytogenes identified by PFGE. The company also has reported that it has shut down that production line. State and local health officials, CDC, and FDA continue to work closely on this investigation, and new information will be provided on this website as it becomes available. CDC recommends that people not eat, serve, or sell any recalled Blue Bell brand products. Information is available for one patient; that patient reported consuming ice cream in a Texas hospital before developing listeriosis, and the Texas Department of State Health Services reported that the hospital had received Blue Bell brand ice cream cups. This cup was produced in the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, plant on April 15, 2014. The listeria strain linked to one of the Blue Bell products sickened five patients at a Kansas hospital. Listeria, a food-borne pathogen tied to a recent Blue Bell Ice Cream food recall, can cause flulike symptoms, miscarriage and stillbirth, and death. The people with illness onsets during 2010–2014 were identified through a retrospective review of the PulseNet database for DNA fingerprints matching isolates collected from Blue Bell ice cream samples. LISTERIA. Prosecutors said the total sum to be paid by Blue Bell is the second-largest ever paid in a food-safety case. Health officials had notified the ice-cream company in February 2015 that two of its products had tested positive for listeria, a bacterium that can cause severe illness or … PulseNet manages a national database of these DNA fingerprints to identify possible outbreaks. Listeria isolates from four of the five people had PFGE patterns that were also identified in ice cream tested by South Carolina and Texas. ", The company added that it "learned hard lessons" from the outbreak and that food safety is its "highest priority.". According to investigators, subsequent tests confirmed Listeria contamination in a product made at another Blue Bell facility in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, which resulted in a second recall announcement on March 23, 2015. All five people were hospitalized for unrelated problems before developing invasive listeriosis — a finding that strongly suggested their infections were acquired in the hospital. On March 23, 2015, Blue Bell announced a recallExternal of 3 oz.