Blue Bell Knew About the Listeria Contamination, FDA Officials

According to findings released by the FDA, Blue Bell Creameries was aware of the presence of listeria contamination in its Broken Arrow plant in Oklahoma as early as 2013.

The company however failed to improve its sanitation standards and continued to produce and ship ice-cream from the plant.

It took the company another 2 years before launching a product recall only after reports of listeria contamination surfaced.

There were three listeria related deaths in Kansas alone, followed by seven other illnesses in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Kansas.

 Seattle attorney Bill Marler and food safety expert said, "That's as bad as it gets. You're just not doing what you're supposed to do."

The FDA conducted multiple tests in the company's plants in Texas, Alabama and Texas. The agency found 17 positive tests for listeria contamination on factory equipment from the above plants during 2013 to 2015.

These findings in itself should have prompted Blue Bells to conduct thorough tests in places that involved direct contact of food.

"It's almost like they were looking for it in areas that if they found it there they didn't get in much trouble," Marler said. "They just didn't look for it in areas where the risk to the consumer was the highest."

Blue Bells has now said that it would many months before its products are reintroduced in stores and all the plants are currently being sanitized. The employees are also being included in new training programs to help improve sanitation standards.