Blue Bell To Test Production At Alabama Plant

Blue Bell Creameries plans to conduct test production runs at its plant in Sylacauga, Alabama, with hopes to begin restocking ice cream in stores and institutions nationwide.

The ice cream company, which had to recall its entire product line in spring 2015 for listeria contaminations that may have affected its facilities since as early as 2013, will do limited production runs to see if new procedures, facility enhancements, and employee training will make a difference.

Greg Bridges, vice president of operations at Blue Bell, said in a statement, "We have been working diligently to prepare our facilities to resume test production, and our focus throughout this process has been to ensure the public that when our products return to market, they are safe."

Blue Bell had to shut down production and issue a national recall after 10 people in four states contracted listeria. Three people in Kansas died as a result. There is no confirmed date for the test productions or for when Blue Bell will return to stores.

Don Williamson, Alabama State Health Officer, told the AP that listeria was found on a plant catwalk at the Alabama factory, but not in the ice cream samples.