Blue Bell begins first ice cream shipments after listeria

Marjorie Owens | WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth

Show Caption Hide Caption Blue Bell ice cream back on track after listeria outbreak Blue Bell Ice Cream tweeted a video of their trucks leaving an Alabama facility, raising hopes that the beloved ice cream would soon return to shelves.

DALLAS — Four months after recalling all products from stores across the country, Blue Bell Creameries announced their "trucks are back on the road" Tuesday.

"And, yes, they are filled with Blue Bell Ice Cream," the tweet said.

Blue Bell ice cream has been off store shelves since April when it issued a national recall after its ice cream was linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states, and three deaths in Kansas.

In the months since the recall, thousands of employees were laid off or furloughed. The company also received financial backing from Fort Worth billionaire Sid Bass to keep the company afloat.

Last month, Blue Bell announced that test production began at its Sylacauga, Ala., facility.The company began the trial runs in Alabama, instead of its hometown plant in Brenham, Texas, because the Alabama plant is smaller. Blue Bell was able to make improvements there faster.

Earlier this month, the ice cream maker was given the all-clear to produce ice cream at the plant. The creamery had been voluntarily sharing test results with the Alabama Department of Public Health and all tests came back negative for listeria contamination.

In another tweet Tuesday, the company said they'll soon announce which stores will carry the products. Blue Bell didn't reveal where the truck was headed or what it contained, but a Alabama health department official said the only flavors they tested were homemade vanilla and Dutch chocolate.

Chris Van Deusen, with the Texas Department of State Health Services, said Blue Bell must notify the state two weeks before it starts production at its Brenham plant. According to Van Deusen, the state hasn't received any word that Blue Bell will begin selling or producing ice cream in Texas. However, he said ice cream can be produced in Alabama and then shipped to Texas without notification to the health department.

Contributing: Landon Haaf, WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth; The Associated Press.

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