Justice Department Investigates Blue Bell Over Listeria Outbreak

The Department of Justice has started an investigation into Blue Bell after its ice cream was linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak earlier this year that killed three people.

CBS News
In this April 10, 2015 file photo, Blue Bell ice cream rests on a grocery store shelf in Lawrence, Kansas. In the wake of a deadly listeria outbreak in ice cream, the Justice Department is warning food companies that they could face criminal and civil penalties if they poison their customers.
In this April 10, 2015 file photo, Blue Bell ice cream rests on a grocery store shelf in Lawrence, Kansas. In the wake of a deadly listeria outbreak in ice cream, the Justice Department is warning food companies that they could face criminal and civil penalties if they poison their customers.

The Department of Justice has started an investigation into Blue Bell after its ice cream was linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak earlier this year that killed three people, according to CBS News.

An FDA investigation found Listeria in all three of Blue Bell's production plants located in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas. Records indicated that the company knew one plant was contaminated at least as early as 2013.

The FDA investigation uncovered other troubling problems, including condensation dripping directly into ice cream and unsanitary equipment. Last April, Blue Bell shut down all three production facilities, and all ice cream was recalled.

Sources tell CBS News that the Department of Justice is trying to determine what Blue Bell management knew about potentially deadly hazards in their plants, and when they knew it.

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