Blue Bell dragged its feet

When a food manufacturer learns from health officials that its product is tainted with a pathogen, and confirms the contamination itself, surely it should halt production until the problem is fixed and recall the affected products right away.

Yet a Houston Chronicle investigative report on the listeria outbreak linked to Blue Bell ice cream earlier this year indicated the company took its time to do both.

That’s troubling news especially in Wichita, as five patients at Via Christi Hospital St. Francis for unrelated conditions became ill from eating Blue Bell ice cream and three died, The Eagle reported in March. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the three deaths among 10 infected patients in four states were those in Kansas.

Focusing on a machine nicknamed “Gram” that ran nearly around the clock at the plant in Brenham, Texas, the Chronicle reported: “On Feb. 13, health officials alerted Blue Bell that they had discovered the pathogen in random samples. On Feb. 19 and 21, Blue Bell’s own tests discovered (Listeria) monocytogenes in drains connected to the freezer on the Gram line. But the company did not change its practices, which had thus far failed to eliminate the bacteria, FDA records show. On March 9, Blue Bell learned of a potential link between Kansas hospital illnesses and individually packaged ice cream, produced on Gram. On March 10, it stopped using the machine. Three days later, it issued the first in a line of recalls: everything made on Gram.”

The Chronicle also described how workers had struggled to clean equipment properly with insufficient water pressure, hot water and time in a plant fighting to meet demand. Several employees had lost parts of their fingers to machinery. The report also mentions condensation dripping from pipes and dirty air vents. Blue Bell resumed production and returned to stores in late August, but has yet to reappear in Kansas.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has called the listeria a “contributing factor” but “not a direct cause” of the deaths. And an earlier recall and shutdown in Brenham wouldn’t have prevented the Wichita cases, as officials think the latest date the patients ate the tainted ice cream was January 2015.

But it’s hard to justify such foot-dragging when public health was at stake, which raises expectations for new FDA safety rules announced last week. Though more pushback is expected from some of those affected, including farmers who grow produce, the long-anticipated changes promise to ensure companies have food-safety plans in place and understand hazards specific to their products. The 2010 law authorizing the tougher regulations also provides for more FDA inspections and increases its ability to shut down facilities.

If Blue Bell Creameries is the worst-case scenario, the majority of food manufacturers operate safely, of course, recognizing that food safety isn’t just crucial for public health but essential to stay in business.

For the editorial board, Rhonda Holman

This story was originally published September 14, 2015 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Blue Bell dragged its feet."