Blue Bell Hit With Another Listeria Scare After Deadly Outbreak

(Bloomberg) -- Blue Bell Creameries Inc., the ice cream maker that was devastated by a deadly listeria outbreak last year, is doing another product recall tied to the bacteria.

The company is voluntarily calling back products from its Sylacauga, Alabama, factory that were made with chocolate chip cookie dough. The ingredient in question, supplied by Aspen Hills Inc., potentially contains listeria monocytogenes, Blue Bell said in a statement.

The Texas-based creamery recalled all of its products last year after listeria tied to its ice cream killed three people. It also fired or furloughed most of its employees, putting the future of the more-than-century-old business in jeopardy. Blue Bell resumed operations after investor Sid Bass helped rescue the company in July.

There have been no reports of illnesses with the latest listeria scare, Blue Bell said. The company is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to recall the products, which were sold in 10 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. They carry the codes 082618226, 080418222, 081818224, 081518242 and 082418242.

“Blue Bell is initiating this recall out of an abundance of caution,” the company said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Nick Turner in New York at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Craig Giammona in New York at cgiammona@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Kevin Orland