Blue Bell Case Summary

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Construction:
Findings from all three locations report that construction of the facilities was also a major issue. Particularly, all three plants were not constructed as to prevent condensation from dripping onto food contact surfaces.
General maintenance:
Findings from the Brenham facility report that deep grooves had developed in the door guards at the entrance of the equipment room, preventing them to be easily cleaned. Findings from the Broken Arrow facility, the stainless steel mixer’s splash guards had rough welds, which created unmaintained seams where bacteria can thrive. At the Sylacauga facility, an area of the ceiling in the mixing room was damaged, and tiles were broken, creating unmaintained seams for bacteria to harbor.
III. Corporate
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It is the largest employer in Brenham, Texas. Blue Bell’s decision to recall its products and to have the knowledge of each specific product linked to Listeria, was very expensive and economically damaging. However, Blue Bell would have been at a higher risk if they would have chosen otherwise. Even after Blue Bell voluntarily recalled all its products from sellers, the company still had to face numerous economic issues resulting from lawsuits with families, distributors, and stores who lost high volumes of profits. Suppliers and buyers were affected as evidenced by the drastic decrease in their revenue. It is uncertain exactly how much money Blue Bell lost as a result of the recall. The Houston Press estimates Blue Bell’s loss in sales to be more than $200 …show more content…
According to an investigation airing on CBS, a former Blue Bell worker complained to management about unsanitary conditions well before the product recall. The Listeria outbreak can be traced back to 2010 when people reported that the products they had consumed from Blue Bell were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Blue Bell’s poor choice to avoid investigating the report of Listeria in its products led to lawsuits from people who claimed they consumed ice cream containing Listeria.
During 2007-2015, the Food and Drug Administration conducted inspections of Blue Bell’s facilities. They did not report any evidence of Listeria, but did notice several violations of food safety protocols. The Food and Drug Administration’s duty was to ensure that Blue Bell was not violating any policies and protecting the public’s health. Blue Bell has a legal responsibility to its’ stakeholders for any injuries, that followed management’s negligence.