Blue Bell Ice Cream started to recall their products last month over Listeriosis risk which have caused three deaths in Kansas City. Due to precautionary measures and to prevent consumers to be affected, Houston Astros and the H-E-B grocery store chains voluntarily stopped selling the said product as announced on Saturday.
"We are taking this step out of an abundance of caution to ensure that we are doing everything possible to provide our consumers with safe products and to preserve the trust we have built with them and their families for more than a century," the San Antonio-based grocery store said as reported by Chron News.
The store is providing full refund of Blue Bell Ice Cream products. Furthermore, they are willing to talk to their customers regarding the matter at 1-855-432-4438 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday. H-E-B, with more than 300 stores in Texas and northern Mexico said that the move was a precautionary measure due to food safety concerns, as reported by WHSV 3.
The initial recall was made last March 13, after three deaths were linked to the product. Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by contamination of food products by Listeria monocytogenes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the disease primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems.
The three deaths in Kansas were linked to contaminated snacks offered in a hospital in the city and after the incident, a vast recall was done. CDC issued a statement on Friday that recommended people not to eat any Blue Bell products for precautionary measures, "We recommend that consumers do not eat any Blue Bell brand products made at the company's Oklahoma facility and that retailers and institutions do not sell or serve them."
Meanwhile, Blue Bell said that they are conducting an investigation on the issue and will examine their Oklahoma plant. "Once our investigation is complete and we have made all necessary improvements, it will return to operation. Our other plants continue to operate and supply our products to retail stores and institutional customers," the statement said.
