Blue Bell expands recall to all of its products

Brenham-based Blue Bell Creameries is pulling all of its products from the shelves after more ice cream samples tested positive for a life-threatening bacterial infection.

The voluntary decision, announced Monday, is the latest and most sweeping development to plague the Texas business icon since a recall last month, the first in the company's 108-year history.

It came after an "enhanced sampling program" that found half-gallon containers of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream produced on March 17 and March 27 contained the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, company officials said.

"We're committed to doing the 100 percent right thing, and the best way to do that is to take all of our products off the market until we can be confident that they are safe," Paul Kruse, Blue Bell CEO and president, said in a statement.

The latest tests mean the company had several positive tests for listeria in different plants.

On Monday, company officials said they "cannot say with certainty" how listeria was introduced into their plants.

Everything you need to know about Blue Bell's listeria outbreak

Blue Bell Creameries is pulling all of its products off the shelves after samples of ice cream tested positive for a potentially deadly bacteria - listeria. It follows several smaller Blue Bell recalls over the last month that the company initiated after its products were linked to three deaths at a Kansas hospital.

The AP answered some commonly asked questions about the disease and the recall. less Everything you need to know about Blue Bell's listeria outbreak

Blue Bell Creameries is pulling all of its products off the shelves after samples of ice cream tested positive for a potentially deadly bacteria - ... more Photo: Jamie Squire, Getty Images Photo: Jamie Squire, Getty Images Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Blue Bell expands recall to all of its products 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

The company announced the first recall March 13 after ice cream made by Blue Bell Creameries was linked to the deaths of three hospital patients in Kansas. Almost every other week since then, Blue Bell has had to deal with another recall or a store withdrawing product from shelves.

The listeria organism can cause sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people or others whose immune systems are weakened.

It can also cause miscarriage and stillbirths in pregnant women.

Even normally healthy people can experience high fever, abdominal pain, severe headaches, nausea and diarrhea.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the symptoms will spread beyond the gastrointestinal tract for almost everyone diagnosed with listeriosis.

All those infected in Kansas were hospitalized at the same time with unrelated health problems. Health records indicate the patients all consumed milkshakes with a single-serve Blue Bell ice cream product called "Scoops" about a month before they were infected, according to the CDC.

All three products came off the same Blue Bell production line, company officials said.

"We are heartbroken about this situation and we apologize to all of our loyal Blue Bell fans and customers. Our entire history has been about making the very best and highest quality ice cream and we intend to fix this problem," Kruse said.

Blue Bell officials will initiate a "test and hold" procedure for all products made at its facilities. That means any product will be tested first and held until the ice cream is shown to be safe.

A Blue Bell plant in Broken Arrow, Okla., will remain closed as the company continues to investigate.

"We continue to work with our team of experts to eliminate this problem," Kruse said.

In addition to the "test and hold" program, Blue Bell officials said they will greatly expand cleaning and equipment sanitizing efforts, send daily samples for testing at a microbiology lab and provide more training for employees.

With summer around the corner, the recall will sweep Blue Bell products from the shelves at supermarkets and convenience stores throughout Texas and more than 20 other states along with international retailers.

Blue Bell opened as the Brenham Creamery Co. in 1907. It expanded to Houston in 1960 and the region is one of Blue Bell's biggest markets.

The recall in March began with products sold to commercial institutions such as hospitals

The Chronicle's Dana Thompson contributed to this report.