Nearly a year and a half after state officials received a voluntary recall notice from Blue Bell, comes penalties after the ice cream maker shut down and renovated its plants after the discovery of listeria bacteria.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Blue Bell will pay $175,000 dollars within 30 days.
Another $675,000 will not have to be paid if Blue Bell follows the terms of an enforcement agreement for 18 months.
During the next year and a half, Blue Bell is required to notify the state of any presumptive positive test results discovered at its home plant in Brenham. Blue Bell must also maintain its “test and hold” procedures for all finished products…which means ice cream must be found to be free of pathogens before it can be sold to the public.
And Blue Bell must also continue to provide state inspectors with full access to the plant to take samples.
Below is Blue Bell’s statement regarding the enforcement agreement:
Since signing the voluntary agreement in May of 2015 and throughout this process, we have worked closely with the State of Texas Department of Health Services to ensure the safety of our products. We are committed to the provisions outlined in this updated agreement. We are pleased with the steps that have been taken in our facilities and confident that we are producing safe products that our customers can enjoy.
Click HERE to read and download the official enforcement agreement.
