Tests found listeria on a plant catwalk at the Alabama factory, but not in the ice cream samples produced there, Alabama State Health Officer Don Williamson said.
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“When production resumes at the Sylacauga plant, it will be on a limited basis as the company seeks to confirm that new procedures, facility enhancements and employee training have been effective”, said an official statement.
Blue Bell said in a statement that the Alabama agreement is similar to agreements reached with Texas and Oklahoma state regulatory agencies in May. A specific date was not released.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Blue Bell is beginning a trial run of ice cream production at its Sylacauga plant, which has been closed since a national recall of the company’s products.
In March the company issued the first recall in its 108-year history after the five confirmed cases of Listeriosis in Kansas were linked to products from a single production line.
Thousands of Blue Bell employees were laid off or furloughed in May as the company looked to cut costs and resume production as quickly as possible. Three people who ate the contaminated ice cream died and several others were sickened.
In this April 10, 2015, photo, Blue Bell ice cream is for sale on a grocery store shelf in Lawrence, Kan.
The July 20 date is subject to change and the state department will have an official present during the trial run, said Ron Dawsey, a spokesman for the Alabama Health Department.
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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.
