Blue Bell Ice Cream stops production due to bacteria

Texas-based ice cream giant Blue Bell has halted production and distribution of eight products linked to bacteria that causes illness, according to a release from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Multiple cases of Listeriosis were confirmed in Kansas and linked to Blue Bell products that came from the headquarters in Brenham, TX. The Food and Drug Administration included the following products in a consumer advisory:

• Chocolate Chip Country Cookie
• Great Divide Bar
• Sour Pop Green Apple Bar
• Cotton Candy Bar
• Scoops
• Vanilla Stick Slices
• Almond Bar
• No Sugar Added Mooo Bar (regular Mooo Bars are not included)

Anyone who has purchased these products is urged not to eat them. Blue Bell cups, pints and half gallons were not included in the FDA's advisory.

According to the DSHS, lab tests of the Country Cookie, Great Divide and Scoops made in Brenham showed that those three products contained Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can lead to severe illnesses.

The other products listed by the FDA were produced on the same production line at the south Texas Blue Bell factory.

Texas inspects facilities like the Blue Bell headquarters monthly, according to the DSHS. None of the state's 21 confirmed Listeriosis cases in 2014-15 have been linked to Blue Bell products. Listeriosis is a rare but serious illness caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes. Anyone who experiences fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, or develops fever and chills after eating the ice cream should seek medical care and tell their health care provider about any history of eating the ice cream. Symptoms can appear from a few days up to a few weeks after consumption of the contaminated food.