Lab Claims Listeria Found In More Blue Bell Ice Cream
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(CBSDFW.COM/AP) — One Florida man claims to have fell ill after eating Blue Bell's Cookies 'n Cream ice cream.
Brent McRae, 75, fell ill with meningitis in April. The man's wife sent the half-gallon container of ice cream to Kappa Laboratories of Miami; it tested positive for listeria, said his lawyer, Bill Marler of Seattle. A product code on the bottom of the carton indicated it was manufactured in Alabama. Alabama State Health Officer Don Williamson said state health officials have so far had no reports of any samples of ice cream from the Alabama plant testing positive for listeria.
Blue Bell Creameries is reviewing a report from a private laboratory that found evidence of listeria in a carton of ice cream manufactured at its Alabama plant; they are also reviewing test results.
The company issued a national recall after the company's ice cream was linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states, and three deaths in Kansas. The contaminated products have been found at the company's Texas and Oklahoma plants, but so far not at its Sylacauga, Alabama, facility.
"We have just had this situation brought to our attention, and we of course take all such matters very seriously," the company said in a statement. "We are reviewing the third-party lab report we have received, but because this overall situation involves litigation, we are not able to discuss any details of the matter."
Marler, a lawyer specializing in foodborne illness cases, said McRae has not filed a lawsuit against Blue Bell, but is considering it.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the agency is in contact with state health officials, but will not be able to compare the listeria strain in the ice cream to the strains that have made people sick nationwide.
The CDC continues to advise consumers not to eat any Blue Bell products.
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