A recall by Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries of all of its products amid a Listeria bacteria outbreak linked to 10 illnesses, including three deaths, has reached around the globe to China, where the U.S. ice cream company has been selling since 2014.
Â
"Our products are distributed in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning. All distributors were made aware of the recall and notified to remove Blue Bell products from their markets," Jenny Van Dorf, public relations market specialist at Blue Bell Advertising Associates.
Â
Dorf said that the dairy company, which originated from a small town outside of Houston, Texas, more than a century ago, contacted food service, convenience stores and supermarket distributors last week in 24 states and around the world to voluntarily recall all of its products, mainly ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and frozen snacks.
Â
According to Chinese authorities, around 40.5 tons of Blue Bell products have been shipped to China since February 2014, more than10 percent of which was sold and consumed, while the rest have been recalled. So far, there is no report of illness related to the products.
Â
As of 21 April, 10 people with listeriosis related to the current outbreak have been confirmed from Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, including three deaths reported from Kansas, according to information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Â
Consumers who have purchased Blue Bell products are being urged by the company to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Â
On 20 April, the company said in a news release that its products "had the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems."
Â
Short-term symptoms of contamination from Listeria include high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. In pregnant women, infection from the Listeria organism can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.Â
.jpg)
 A recall by Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries of all of its products amid a Listeria bacteria outbreak linked to 10 illnesses, including three deaths, has reached around the globe to China, where the U.S. ice cream company has been selling since 2014.
