FORMER WORKERS ADDRESS BLUE BELL SANITATION ON CBS NEWS

  

Two laid off workers from Brenham’s Blue Bell Ice Cream plant are telling CBS News that that management ignored their complaints about unsanitary conditions long before the company shut down production because due to a bacteria outbreak.

According to KBTX in Bryan/College Station, Monday night on the CBS Evening News one former employee tells reporter Jim Axelrod that nothing was done in response to complaints he says he made to management.

Axelrod’s report appears on Monday night’s 5:30 national CBS newscast and again on the network’s CBS This Morning program, Tuesday.

Another laid off worker claims that after ice cream produced at the Brenham plant was identified as the source of the contamination, production continued.

In April, Blue Bell halted production and recalled all of its products after the listeria outbreak was traced back to the company.

In a statement to CBS News, Blue Bell said: “We are committed to ensuring that we are producing a safe product through our enhanced manufacturing procedures, including increased focus on sanitation and cleaning, ongoing evaluation from independent microbiologists, voluntary agreements with our state regulators, and finally, a test and hold procedure.”

More segments of the multi-part investigative report will air throughout the week.