Blue Bell is expanding a voluntary recall of ice cream products linked to a potentially deadly bacteria.
The Texas company now is pulling its banana pudding ice cream from shelves, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The ice cream was produced at Blue Bell’s Broken Arrow, Okla., plant, which also produced a variety of other flavors that range from mint chocolate chip to rainbow sherbert.
The products tested positive for a bacteria called listeria, which can cause health problems for seniors, children and people with weakened immune systems.
Healthy people who consume the tainted treats will only get a high fever, severe headache, stiffness, abdominal pain and diarrhea. However, listeria can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1,600 people are sickened and 260 people die each year due to listeria.
So far no illnesses have been reported, according to an FDA notice published late Tuesday.
The recall started on April 3 when a chocolate ice cream cup tested positive for listeria. Blue Bell has since shut down the Broken Arrow plant.
Blue Bell’s recall has steadily expanded. Affected products are in supermarkets and convenience stores in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wyoming.
