Blue Bell Ice Cream, Brenham, Texas, will embark on an intensive cleaning program and conduct a new training program for its employees at all four production facilities in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas. This comes on the heels of a voluntary recall of ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and frozen snacks because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 

After a thorough review of operations and discussions with an expert microbiologist, it was decided this cleaning and training program will greatly benefit Blue Bell as it moves forward. Ice cream being produced this week will be used for testing and gathering baseline data and will not be sold to the public.

Training and future improvements include:

• Highly aggressive cleaning techniques.
• Increased actions focused on sanitation and cleanliness.
• Strengthening of standard operating procedures.
• Enhancements to preventative maintenance program.
• Equipment design changes.  

“We’ve always worked to make the very highest quality ice cream,” says Paul Kruse, president and CEO. “We intend to make a fresh start, and that begins with intensive cleaning and enhanced training. This is a paradigm shifting event at Blue Bell, and we want to put in place new systems to drive continuous improvement.”