In 2015 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local officials investigated an outbreak of listeriosis potentially linked to certain Blue Bell Creameries single serving ice cream products.
Listeriosis is caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. In this instance numbers of people got sick and several died as result. Products were pulled from the grocery shelf and loyal patrons wondered if their favorite flavor would ever return. Inspector reports pointed to less than satisfactory sanitary conditions within a number of Blue Bell’s production facilities. Months later products began showing up in the grocery freezer, but only after months of subsequent health inspections and GMP’s (good manufacturing practices) were updated. What the public may not have been aware of is Blue Bell was operating under a Food Safety Program such as SQF II or III, which if followed should prevent a listeria outbreak in the first place.
Blue Bell was fully liable and at fault for the blunder and if policies and practices were followed, the violations should have never occurred especially in the degree they were. In my opinion Blue Bell and mega manufacturers like them should be setting examples of how to operate a safe and clean facility. The aftermath of bad behavior resulted in inspectors adding listeria testing as part of a regular routine inspection, additionally other manufacturers had to add steps, sounds good, but listeria testing should not be an everyday testing as to have it enter a facility a tremendous amount of errors need to happen over a number of months.
I can say from an operational view, the first time the recall happened it was a surprise, but mostly disappointing when listeria was detected in multiple locations, so my first thought was that cost cutting measures in reduced training and cleaning intervals finally backfired. Food Safety News had an article regarding a laid off worker who claimed ongoing worker complaints fell on deaf ears with such things as pooled ice cream on the floor or oil dripping onto areas of the production line.
The first event in my opinion was an embarrassment to the food industry and very unnecessary. However the second and most recent recall may have been something out of their control. Remember I mentioned SQF compliance and certifications, the food safety standard is predominant in Europe and starting to be a requirement for dairy and food manufacturers by big box retailers like Sam’s Club, Costco and Whole Foods. The sole purpose of initiating Food Safety programs “is to certify every link in the food chain” to mitigate situations of listeria getting introduced into the food chain.
So why the second recall for Blue Bell? You might think, what did they do wrong this time or didn’t they learn a thing from the first incident. This FDA recall points to bacteria entered into the ice cream through a 3rd party vendor named Aspen Hills and in the situation supplies Blue Bell with chocolate chip cookie dough pieces.
Since Blue Bell operates under a Food Safety Program, then by policy all of their suppliers are required to be under some sort of recognized food safety program. Remember “every link of the food chain,” so all ingredients upstream need to follow the same food safety standards as the finished product. No one was reported sickened, but since the first outbreak manufacturers are now overly cautious.
You may be wondering why doesn’t a large manufacturer like Blue Bell make their own cookie dough rather than purchasing from an outside vendor? Great question and in my opinion believe the decision is for a couple of reasons. Manufacturers of all sizes are recognizing that buying flavor and ingredients from an outside vendor can make sense for reasons of product cost savings and more importantly to to share the burden of responsibility and liability cost as in the case of the second and most recent product recall.
As previously mentioned, in the first event Blue Bell was held solely responsible for their actions and shouldered the full burden of liability expense. In the second incident, Blue Bell purchased cookie dough from Aspen Hills so the burden, blame and claim can be pointed to both companies. Blue Bell found the listeria and reported it to Aspen Hills, so the outcome could very well be a cross blaming situation.
The situation would have been worse if reports of a customer getting sick or even dying as result of eating the ice cream flavor, but this incident will be product loose and who is finally responsible for the mishap. However due to the Aspin making cookie dough pieces for numerous ice cream manufacturers, they too recalled product from the freezer to avoid a possible liability claim. So even though other manufacturers did not test or report evidence of listeria in their ice cream, product was pulled. Not a good situation for the supplier and hence, one reason today’s ice cream manufacturers are staying away from making flavor ingredients in their facilities. Making everything in house can definitely have it’s advantages, but mid to large size companies are starting to take the approach of using an outside source to save money and reduce their liability exposure.
If you’re not sure about making your own flavor ingredients such as brownies or cookie dough for your own ice cream, contact Darryl he can help you better understand the plus and minuses of making everything in-house.
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