Speaking out against Blue Bell in Brenham isn’t easy. But Schultz said nothing was done about his complaints.
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For Davis, the finding really hit home – she actually had Blue Bell products in her freezer that she had handed out at a kid’s birthday party.
“A lot of times when I walked in there was just ice cream all over the floor”, Schultz explained. Then, there were situation when the machines would haywire owing to which the product would continue to run through conveyor belt and drop on floor. Schultz says that his complaints to supervisors were completely ignored.
Gerald Bland, a five-year Blue Bell veteran who operated a fruit feeder in a different part of the plant, said the company was all about cutting costs which included reusing cardboard that was prone to bacteria buildup.
Because stopping to clean would slow down production, workers were encouraged to leave the mess and continue working.
That matches allegations by the former employees who spoke to CBS News.
“[Water] on the wall, by the three-gallon machine”.
The company also says it’s making good progress in reopening its Brenham plant, but at this point there is no date set for it to reopen.
In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted inspection reports of Blue Bell facilities completed from 2007-2015.
Former Blue Bell Ice Cream workers have unveiled that they have a number of times raised concerns of conditions at Blue Bell Ice Cream factory in Texas. There were reportedly no unannounced FDA inspections at the Brenham, TX plant.
“I think this is a story that needs to be told”, said Shultz. “As soon as Army pulled up in the parking lot, the phone calls start”.
Blue Bell temporarily shut down production of all of its products in late April due to the contamination that left three people dead. But in other parts of the plant, production continued for weeks.
Even after the listeria was found, Bland said nothing changed for a few time. “Two weeks before we shut down, that was when they changed the procedures”.
CBS News Correspondent Jim Axelrod (right) interviewing a former Blue Bell worker.
“This is a terribly sad day in the company’s history”, Kruse said at the time.
“I love the awesome flavors and all the delicious things about it”, said resident Gunner Gee.
“And just no action was taken….”
Almost everyone can claim they didn’t get sick.
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The report, by CBS News Correspondent Jim Axelrod, will air Monday night on the CBS Evening News With Scott Pelley and again Tuesday on CBS This Morning, plus portions will be broadcast throughout the week. But in a statement to CBS News they wrote: “We are committed to ensuring that we are producing a safe product through our enhanced manufacturing procedures, including increased focus on sanitation and cleaning, ongoing evaluation from independent microbiologists, voluntary agreements with our state regulators, and finally, a test and hold procedure”.
