Blue Bell Creameries knew its plant in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was contaminated with Listeria as early as 2013, but did not improve its sanitation programs, according to evidence provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The Houston Chronicle obtained government inspection reports from the FDA after filing a Freedom of Information Act request, and soon found that there were sanitation failures at other plants in Texas and Alabama.
Blue Bell has faced heavy scrutiny since recalling all of its products nationwide in mid-April after its ice cream tested positive for the bacteria Listeria.
Soon after, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that three people who died in the past year were believed to have contracted the bacteria from Blue Bell products,
CNN reported.
In 2013, floors, pallets used for ingredients, and other non-food-contact surfaces received a "presumptive positive" result after being tested for the bacteria.
Commenting on the new revelations, Blue Bell said in a
statement to The New York Times, "As is standard procedure for any such positive results, the company would immediately clean the surfaces and swab until the tests were negative."
"We thought our cleaning process took care of any problems, but in hindsight, it was not adequate, which is why we are currently conducting such a comprehensive re-evaluation of all our operations."
The FDA documents obtained said that as recently as two months ago, the company had "failed to demonstrate" that sanitation had been adequately improved.
Blue Bell is the third-largest ice cream brand in the U.S.
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