According to the news station KBTX, Blue Bell Creameries has confirmed a worker at the Blue Bell Creameries in Brenham, Texas has tested positive for Covid-19. Blue Bell shared that the employee is quarantined and is under medical supervision. The employee is currently not working and the company has notified employees who work closely with the infected worker. These employees have been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor for any symptoms.
In regards to food safety, Blue Bell commented that they are deep cleaning and disinfecting the area where the Blue Bell employee worked.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with the transmission of COVID-19, regardless of the status of the worker.
"The FDA does not anticipate that food products will need to be recalled or be withdrawn from the market should a person that works on a farm or in a food facility test positive for COVID-19," the FDA states on its website.
This means the ice cream products are safe and cannot be transmitted through food or packaging. The ice cream company is still currently open during the pandemic.
This isn't the first time the company has dealt with food safety issues. Back in 2015 the ice cream company was involved in a listeria outbreak that left three people dead. Earlier this month the company entered a plea agreement with the department of justice and plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts and to pay $19.3 million in fines. Paul Kruse, the former CEO, was charged with seven felony counts including conspiracy and attempted wire fraud. Allegedly he told Blue Bell employees to remove the ice cream from stores without notifying the retailers of the listeria contamination.
According to federal prosecutors, the fines were the second-largest ever paid in a food safety case.
