March 24, 2015 — Blue Bell Ice Cream has recalled ice cream cups that were sold in hospitals due to possible contamination with Listeria, a bacteria that can cause severe food poisoning.
Health officials in Kansas said five hospital patients fell ill after eating the ice cream cups, including three patients who died. Food poisoning may have contributed to the deaths, but none of the deaths were caused by Listeria.
The Kansas Department of Health reported that one cup of chocolate ice cream tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The product came from a hospital in Wichita, Kansas.
Blue Bell, which is based in Brenham, Texas, has never issued a recall in its 108-year history. This recall was issued for products that were produced in April 2014 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. They were distributed to hospitals and other food service customers in 23 states.
The recall includes chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors of ice cream in 3-oz cups with pull-tab lids, including:
- Ice Cream Cup Chocolate (3 FL OZ) No UPC – SKU #453
- Ice Cream Cup Strawberry (3 FL OZ) No UPC – SKU #452
- Ice Cream Cup Vanilla (3 FL OZ) No UPC – SKU #451
Infection with Listeria is very serious for people in hospitals, especially people who are pregnant, very young or very old, or have a weakened immune system. According to the FDA:
“Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.”
Do I have a Food Poisoning Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Listeria induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured after eating Blue Bell ice cream, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Food Poisoning Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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