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After Listeria Outbreak, Blue Bell Will Return Starting August 31

sarowen/flickr
After a swath of plant closuers following an outbreak of Listeria, Blue Bell Creameries will begin distribution of ice cream at the end of this month.

Austin, Houston, Brenham and parts of Alabama will be the first to see Blue Bell ice cream back in stores later this month.

The Brenham-based company said today it would start rolling products back out Aug. 31, after listeria contamination at its production facilities forced it to recall all of its products and shut down its factories for cleaning. The contamination was linked to 10 illnesses, three of which resulted in deaths. 

One Blue Bell factory in Alabama began making ice cream again in July. Others in Brenham and Oklahoma are still being cleaned and upgraded.

Blue Bell announced its return in a video posted Monday:

After Blue Bell rolls out its first phase, other regions will follow:

  • Phase Two:  North central Texas and southern Oklahoma
  • Phase Three:  Southwest Texas and central Oklahoma
  • Phase Four:  The majority of Texas and southern Louisiana.
  • Phase Five:  Complete  the states of Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas and begin distribution in Arkansas, Florida, northern Louisiana and Mississippi. This phase will also include only parts of the following states:  Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Matt Largey is the Projects Editor at KUT. That means doing a little bit of everything: editing reporters, producing podcasts, reporting, training, producing live events and always being on the lookout for things that make his ears perk up. Got a tip? Email him at mlargey@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @mattlargey.
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