Dive Brief:
- Blue Bell and its ingredient supplier Aspen Hills have both expanded recalls of their products containing cookie dough, which may be contaminated with listeria, the Associated Press reported.
- Blue Bell is now recalling all of its products that contain cookie dough rather than a select few.
- Aspen Hills notified its customers, which are manufacturers rather than consumers, that it was recalling the cookie dough voluntarily. The company identified lapses in certain food safety protocols that could have led to the contamination.
Dive Insight:
Blue Bell and Aspen Hills went back and forth last month when the ice cream producer blamed the recall on its supplier, saying the ingredient was contaminated when Blue Bell received it. Aspen Hills denied those claims, claiming the ingredient tested negative for contamination before leaving its facility.
Though Aspen Hills is now recalling cookie dough sold to other manufacturers, the company maintains that none of the recalled ingredients tested positive for listeria, and regulators haven’t linked any illnesses to the company’s products. Instead, this could be an early example of what recalls might look like under the newly mandated FSMA requirements.
Aspen Hills didn’t report positive test results for pathogens. It instead found gaps in documentation and employees’ failure to wear proper uniforms, which could lead to contamination. More manufacturers may have to initiate similar recalls going forward as they adjust to the new more stringent operational safety and documentation requirements.