2015 Recall

Unfortunately, in 2015, the company issued a voluntary recall on an assortment of items produced at its creameries, due to the discovery of five cases of listeriosis in Kansas believed to be caused by products from the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma creamery. Three of the five patients with listeria died, possibly due to the infection. Blue Bell then expanded the recall covering all of its products, a recall of over eight million gallons, to be disposed of into a sanitary landfill. Because of this, Blue Bell laid off 37% of its workers in May 2015.^[31] They also announced that another 1,400 would be temporarily furloughed until the clean-up is finished. The remaining employees, who are essential to the clean-up effort, also had wage reductions imposed on them.