H-E-B pulls all Blue Bell products from store shelves

Saturday, April 4, 2015
Blue Bell ice cream pulled from shelves
H-E-B removed all Blue Bell products on its shelves following recalls

HOUSTON -- H-E-B has decided to withdraw all Blue Bell products on its shelves following recent recalls amid listeria fears.

The grocery giant calls the move "a precautionary measure due to food safety concerns."

The news comes after Blue Bell Creameries announced it voluntarily suspended operations at the Oklahoma manufacturing plant linked to a listeriosis outbreak, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is recommending everyone to not eat any products from that plant.

In a statement issued Friday, the company said its manufacturing plant in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma will undergo thorough inspection "for any possible problems that may have led to the contamination of some of our ice cream products in the past few weeks."

The ice cream made by the Oklahoma plant is sold to institutional accounts such as hospitals in 23 states.

H-E-B released a statement: "Working with Blue Bell, we will replenish our shelves with new product as soon as feasible."

H-E-B says that customers with any concerns can return their Blue Bell product to H-E-B stores for a full refund. Customers with questions can contact H-E-B Customer Relations at 1-855-432-4438 8am and 5pm, Monday through Friday.

There are reports that Walmart, Randalls, and Kroger have pulled Blue Bell from their shelves as well but last we checked, Kroger and Randalls had both restocked it after checking the source and seeing it was safe. Walmart says it has pulled products from the Broken Arrow facility and instituted a prompt at cash registers so those products cannot be sold to customers, according to a Walmart representative.

Baseball fans won't be able to get Blue Bell ice cream at Minute Maid Park on opening day.

The Astros released the following statement Saturday night: