BLUE BELL RECALLS ALL PRODUCTS MADE WITH ASPEN HILLS COOKIE DOUGH

  

Blue Bell Ice Cream is voluntarily recalling all products that were made with a cookie dough ingredient supplied by the third party supplier Aspen Hills, Inc., due to the potential for them to contain Listeria. 

Blue Bell initiated this expanded recall after Aspen Hills provided additional information on affected cookie dough lots. Blue Bell says that while their products in the marketplace have passed the test and hold program, which requires that finished product samples from a batch test negative for Listeria before the batch can be released, they are initiating this recall out of an abundance of caution. The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the FDA.

This recall includes the following products in half gallons and pints: Blue Bell Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Blue Bell Cookie Two Step sold to retail outlets, and three gallon flavors sold to food service accounts including Blue Bell Blue Monster, Blue Bell Chocolate Chip Cookie, and Blue Bell Krazy Kookie Dough.  These products were produced from February 2, 2016 through September 7, 2016.

The consumer and food service products produced with the cookie dough pieces were distributed in the following states Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. No illnesses have been reported to date. Consumers should not eat the recalled products and are encouraged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Iowa-based Aspen Hills said Monday that it is re-calling a "limited quantity" of its ready-to-eat cookie dough products because they might have come in contact with Listeria monocytogenes, a strain of the bacteria that can cause serious illness or death.

Aspen Hills officials say personnel failed to consistently follow standard operating procedures, inadequate documentation of protocol, failure to wear proper uniforms and the possibility of cross-contamination.

For more information, consumers with questions may call Blue Bell at 979-836-7977, Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST.