Blue Bell begins 1st ice cream shipments after listeria

Blue Bell in April voluntarily recalled all products after its treats were linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states, including three deaths in Kansas. Last week, FOX23 reported the Alabama Health Department gave permission for the Alabama plant to re-open. We’ll let you know soon when and where you can find our products in stores.

The statement did not say which facility the trucks were from or where they were headed. Blue Bell Ice Cream is packed in freezer trucks and drivers hit the road with what many describe as “the best ice cream in the country!” Blue Bell said its staff would undergo training to emphasize aggressive cleaning techniques and an increased focus on sanitation.

This is good news for ice cream lovers all around the country. Earlier in the year, Blue Bell had to recall a number of its ice cream products due to it being contaminated with listeria.

Production facilities in Oklahoma and Brenham remain closed.

Blue Bell’s three other plants – two in Texas and one in Broken Arrow, Okla. – have not yet reopened.

The company said it would place about 1,400 employees on partially paid furloughs and that about 750 full-time and 700 part-time workers would be laid off.