Broken Arrow, Oklahoma ice cream manufacturer Blue Bell Creameries announced back in April that the company would be issuing a full recall of all products following a positive test for the bacteria Listeria in their facility. Listeria is an extremely harmful pathogen that the CDC estimates to cause approximately 1,600 infections and 200 deaths in the U.S every year.
There are three groups at highest risk to contract infections from exposure to Listeria:
When food manufacturers fail to disclose the severity and extent of contamination in their facilities, they put hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of consumers at risk. In the most egregious cases of product liability, companies will put their own profits before the safety of their customers, and try to sweep contaminated food or defective products under the rug rather than taking the proper steps to ensure the safety of their consumers.
A new report from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears to indicate that Blue Bell Creameries engaged in exactly this type of risky and dishonest behavior. According to a new FDA report, Blue Bell Creameries knew of Listeria contamination in their Broken Arrow, OK facility as far back as 2013. However, rather than disclosing this information to the public and taking proper safety measures to ensure that no one was hurt by their negligence, Blue Bell instead attempted to cover up the findings.
The FDA’s report is extremely incriminating, and reveals that positive Listeria tests were recorded at the Broken Arrow facility:
These findings are disturbing, and demonstrate that Blue Bell sold a contaminated product to the public in order to put corporate profits over consumer safety. The most recent Blue Bell product recall has already been linked to 10 illnesses and three deaths since April of 2015, and more consumers may come forward to seek compensation for illness and damages sustained after eating the tainted product.
Listeria infections can be serious, and may result in the following symptoms:
If you or a loved one has experienced any of the following symptoms after eating a Blue Bell Creameries product, consult a medical professional right away. If you or a loved one has been harmed by a defective product, you will need an experienced Tulsa, Oklahoma Personal Injury and Product Liability attorney by your side.
At Graves McLain, Tulsa Accident and Personal Injury law firm, we have years of experience recovering compensation for clients that were injured by the negligence of large companies. Your rights and your injuries are serious, and you deserve a legal team that will stand up to large corporations to get you the justice you deserve.
Trust Graves McLain to represent your rights as a victim to the fullest. Call us today at 918-359-6000 to receive a FREE, confidential, and no-obligation consultation with an experienced Tulsa injury attorney. Your case and your injuries are serious. At Graves McLain, we treat them that way.
Graves McLain – Serious Lawyers for Serious Injuries