Biases 'bout Blue Bell
I don't know if you've seen the news on this, but Blue Bell ice cream is not currently for sale. I haven't seen much of the news, but I have seen the shelves and I'm on Blue Bell's mailing list.
Their 4/21 newsletter explains that the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes was found in ice cream from two different plants, so it's not an isolated incident where they can assume that most of the ice cream is safe. Thus, they pulled all their ice cream from the shelves.
They're now implementing a "test and hold" system where they test their products before sending them out to the stores. And they're going to be doing a lot more testing and cleaning at their factories.
Their 4/24 newsletter says that, after working with a bacteriologist, starting tomorrow they will be doing intensive cleaning and training on new ways to do things. The ice cream they make this week will not be sold to the public.
I haven't eaten much Blue Bell in a while. (I switched to HEB's Creamy Creations--which I always suspected was made by Blue Bell--but was cheaper--and now I'm eating mostly Ben and Jerry's, which pushes more of my politeness buttons.) And I've still never been on a tour of their "little creamery in Brenham." But I still have a soft spot for them because, you know, ice cream! Also, when so many other companies shrank their half-gallon containers during the last recession, Blue Bell didn't. As if they respect their customers.
So a big part of me really feels for them. Can you imagine finding out that something in your ice cream killed three people? And then finding out that it's not just one batch? Yikes!
Of course they're a really big company now and maybe they've been cutting corners and of course their own PR is going to say all the right things.
Meanwhile, I've learned a few interesting things. One is that there are four factories in three states (Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama), not just the one in Brenham.
Also, Creamy Creations are still on the shelves. This implies that Blue Bell isn't making Creamy Creations after all. Even though Creamy Creations also still makes half-gallon containers. And even though they and Blue Bell stopped selling "Light" ice cream and started selling "Slow-churned" ice cream instead. Though I suppose two different companies could respect their customers. And the slow-churn craze hit many ice cream companies at the same time. (I don't like that stuff--they whip extra air into it, which makes it have less calories by volume. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me because it just makes me want to eat more, probably until I have the same amount I would have eaten before.)
Or maybe Blue Bell is only pretending to show concern by taking all ice creams labeled Blue Bell off the shelves while still bringing in some money from their ice creams labeled Creamy Creations. I've lived in the US long enough to not be able to help wondering about this.
So my pro-Blue-Bell bias and my anti-big-American-company bias are duking it out. Fun times.
Their 4/21 newsletter explains that the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes was found in ice cream from two different plants, so it's not an isolated incident where they can assume that most of the ice cream is safe. Thus, they pulled all their ice cream from the shelves.
They're now implementing a "test and hold" system where they test their products before sending them out to the stores. And they're going to be doing a lot more testing and cleaning at their factories.
Their 4/24 newsletter says that, after working with a bacteriologist, starting tomorrow they will be doing intensive cleaning and training on new ways to do things. The ice cream they make this week will not be sold to the public.
I haven't eaten much Blue Bell in a while. (I switched to HEB's Creamy Creations--which I always suspected was made by Blue Bell--but was cheaper--and now I'm eating mostly Ben and Jerry's, which pushes more of my politeness buttons.) And I've still never been on a tour of their "little creamery in Brenham." But I still have a soft spot for them because, you know, ice cream! Also, when so many other companies shrank their half-gallon containers during the last recession, Blue Bell didn't. As if they respect their customers.
So a big part of me really feels for them. Can you imagine finding out that something in your ice cream killed three people? And then finding out that it's not just one batch? Yikes!
Of course they're a really big company now and maybe they've been cutting corners and of course their own PR is going to say all the right things.
Meanwhile, I've learned a few interesting things. One is that there are four factories in three states (Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama), not just the one in Brenham.
Also, Creamy Creations are still on the shelves. This implies that Blue Bell isn't making Creamy Creations after all. Even though Creamy Creations also still makes half-gallon containers. And even though they and Blue Bell stopped selling "Light" ice cream and started selling "Slow-churned" ice cream instead. Though I suppose two different companies could respect their customers. And the slow-churn craze hit many ice cream companies at the same time. (I don't like that stuff--they whip extra air into it, which makes it have less calories by volume. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me because it just makes me want to eat more, probably until I have the same amount I would have eaten before.)
Or maybe Blue Bell is only pretending to show concern by taking all ice creams labeled Blue Bell off the shelves while still bringing in some money from their ice creams labeled Creamy Creations. I've lived in the US long enough to not be able to help wondering about this.
So my pro-Blue-Bell bias and my anti-big-American-company bias are duking it out. Fun times.