The ice cream maker issued a recall of its product line back in April after discovering traces of Listeria in its samples. Blue Bell has only been able to resume manufacturing activities after reaching an agreement with the Alabama State Health Department (and entering into similar ones with the appropriate bureaus in Texas and Oklahoma).
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Alabama Health Officer Don Williamson said Wednesday the company notified the department that it will begin a trial run of production later this month. FDA investigators discovered over the course of their examination of Blue Bell that surfaces at the company’s facilities had been testing positive for listeria for years, but Blue Bell never tested the ice cream for the bacteria. Three people died and seven others fell ill, health officials have said.
Company plans to take production slow to ensure enhancements and training have been effective. A few fans of the ice cream were not deterred by the bacterial outbreak, taking to Craigslist to buy old tubs of the frozen treat for inflated prices. A spokesman for the company said 750 full-time employees and 700 part-time workers would be laid off, about 37 percent of the company’s 3,900 employees. The mom and pop shop is known for homemade cookies and for the Blue Bell ice cream it used to sandwich in between.
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Based on the results of the test runs, a decision will be made about resuming production and getting the ice cream back in stores, but there’s no timeline on when that might happen. This time there was no comment from Kruse on the matter. Customer Coby Bird said that Blue Bell is definitely different and their homemade Vanilla Blue Bell is his first choice, so much so that he thinks that even God will offer it in heaven.
