April 27, 2015 — Two ice cream companies have recalled all of their products after finding Listeria, but health officials say ice cream as a whole is still safe to eat.
This month, Blue Bell Creameries recalled all of their products after a hospital in Kansas reported several Listeria illnesses, including three deaths. At least 10 illnesses in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Kansas have been reported since 2010. Last week, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream also recalled all of their products.
According to the Associated Press, Dr. Robert Tauxe of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said:
“Based upon what we know now, there is no connection between these two ice cream companies nor any reason to suspect that ice cream as a whole poses any special foodborne disease risk.”
Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said:
“At this time, the FDA does not believe that the finding of listeria in one sample of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is related to the outbreak and recall associated with Blue Bell Ice Cream.”
It is so uncommon for Listeria to contaminate ice cream that some health departments were not even testing ice cream when randomly sampling food products in grocery stores for contamination. Listeria can grow in a refrigerator, but not in frozen foods.
No one knows how the ice cream became contaminated. It may have come from contaminated ingredients, but Listeria was found in several different types of ice cream and no single ingredient has been pinpointed. Milk can harbor Listeria, but Blue Bell said milk is an unlikely source because they only used pasteurized milk.
Do I have a Blue Bell Ice Cream Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Listeria induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been infected with Listeria after eating recalled 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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