--- title: 3 Kansas Patients Die From Tainted Ice Cream description: Three people in Kansas have died after eating contaminated Blue Bell Creameries brand ice cream products. canonical: https://time.com/3744901/kansas-patients-die-ice-cream/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-14T13:09:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:03:09.139Z article:section: Health og:title: 3 Kansas Patients Die From Tainted Ice Cream og:description: Three people in Kansas have died after eating contaminated Blue Bell Creameries brand ice cream products. og:url: https://time.com/3744901/kansas-patients-die-ice-cream/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt62e763e554dc5126/6987839b5f570f4966b15be6/blue-bell-icre-cream.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Blue Bell Listeriosis og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 3 Kansas Patients Die From Tainted Ice Cream twitter:description: Three people in Kansas have died after eating contaminated Blue Bell Creameries brand ice cream products. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt62e763e554dc5126/6987839b5f570f4966b15be6/blue-bell-icre-cream.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:26 video:published: 2015-03-15 section: health topics: food recall, Listeria outbreak, food safety, ice cream, foodborne illness, deaths linked to food, caramel apple outbreak, refrigerator storage genre: news report, breaking news tones: serious, informative, cautionary, urgent emotions: concern (high), sadness (medium), caution (medium) sentiment: negative audience: general news readers, consumers of packaged food, parents and caregivers, health-conscious viewers, food service operators organizations: Blue Bell Creamery, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention products: Blue Bell ice cream, caramel apples content_suitability: death [00:12-00:19]; health controversy [00:02-01:26]; tragedy [01:13-01:22] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # 3 Kansas Patients Die From Tainted Ice Cream > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=a86e8b96-ab32-46a1-8f73-50d33e062f21&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Blue Bell Ice Cream Linked to Three Deaths In Kansas [Watch (HLS stream): Blue Bell Ice Cream Linked to Three Deaths In Kansas](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/x3WLGKsJ.m3u8) (1:26)  _Published 2015-03-15. Blue Bell Creamery issued is first recall in company history after some of its products were linked to three deaths in Kansas._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video reports that Blue Bell Creamery has recalled several ice cream products after they were linked to Listeria infections that caused deaths in Kansas. It explains that the potentially affected products came from one machine at the company's Texas headquarters, which has been dismantled. It then gives background on Listeria, including the groups most at risk, and notes a similar caramel apple outbreak earlier that year. ## Key points - Blue Bell Creamery recalled several ice cream items believed to be at risk of carrying Listeria bacteria. (00:02) - Five patients being treated in a Kansas hospital were infected with Listeria, and three of them died shortly afterward. (00:12) - According to Blue Bell, the potentially affected products came from one machine at its headquarters in Brenham, Texas. (00:19) - The machine has since been dismantled and the involved products removed from stores and storage. (00:24) - Blue Bell said its cups, pints and half gallons of packaged ice cream are not affected; most affected items were food service products. (00:29) - The FDA says Listeria multiplies at refrigerator temperatures, and longer storage gives the bacteria more opportunity to grow. (00:39) - The CDC cites Listeria as the third leading cause of death from food poisoning and says about 1,600 people get sick from it each year. (00:53) - Less than three months earlier, a similar outbreak linked to prepackaged caramel apples infected 35 people across 12 states and killed seven. (01:13) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:19] Deaths linked to Blue Bell ice cream. Blue Bell recalls ice cream items after Listeria infections were linked to three deaths in Kansas. - [00:19 to 00:39] Source of affected products. Blue Bell traces the potentially affected products to one machine, which has been dismantled, and clarifies which products are involved. - [00:39 to 01:10] Listeria risks and at-risk groups. The video explains how Listeria grows in refrigerators and which groups face the greatest risk from it. - [01:10 to 01:26] Caramel apple outbreak and first recall. The video recommends avoiding caramel apples, recalls an earlier outbreak, and notes this is Blue Bell's first recall in 108 years. ## Key quotes - [00:29] Blue Bell Creamery: "This is not on our cups and pints and half gallons, not packaged ice cream." - [00:39] Food and Drug Administration: "the Listeria bacteria multiplies at refrigerator temperatures" - [01:07] Blue Bell Creamery: "We are recommending at this point, that no one eats caramel apples." - [01:22] Blue Bell Creamery: "This is Blue Bell Creamery's first recall in its 108 years of business." ## Questions this video answers - Which Blue Bell ice cream products were recalled and why? [00:02] - How many people were infected and how many died in the Kansas cases? [00:12] - Where did the potentially affected Blue Bell products come from? [00:19] - Which groups of people are most at risk from Listeria infection? [00:58] - Are Blue Bell's packaged cups, pints and half gallons affected by the recall? [00:29] ## Content suitability - death [00:12-00:19]: Three deaths from Listeria infection are reported. - health controversy [00:02-01:26]: Food recall tied to bacterial infections and fatalities. - tragedy [01:13-01:22]: Earlier caramel apple outbreak killed seven people. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 14, 2015 1:09 PM UTC Blue Bell Creamery issued is first recall in company history after some of its products were linked to three deaths in Kansas. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 14, 2015 1:09 PM UTC Three people in Kansas have died after eating contaminated Blue Bell Creameries brand ice cream products, health officials said. A total of five people in the state were infected with life-threatening listeriosis, which is caused by exposure to the bacteria _Listeria_ _monocytogenes._ Four of the ill individuals told health authorities they drank milkshakes made with a Blue Bell brand ice cream product called “Scoops” in the last month. **MORE:** [Here’s What Foods Are Most Likely To Have E. Coli or Salmonella](http://time.com/3721103/e-coli-salmonella-food/) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [says](http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/ice-cream-03-15/index.html) all of the individuals were being treated in the same hospital for unrelated conditions, suggesting they acquired the infections at the hospital. The tainted products came from one Blue Bell production facility in Brenham, Texas, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [said in a statement](http://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Outbreaks/ucm438104.htm). The agency found three strains of the bacteria in Blue Bell Chocolate Chip Country Cookies, Great Divide Bars, Sour Pop Green Apple Bars, Cotton Candy Bars, Scoops, Vanilla Stick Slices, Almond Bars and No Sugar Added Moo Bars. The CDC says Blue Bell has removed potentially contaminated products from the market, buy but that “contaminated ice cream products may still be in the freezers of consumers, institutions, and retailers.” “One of our machines produced a limited amount of frozen snacks with a potential listeria problem,” Blue Bell said in a statement that noted it was the company’s first product recall in over a century. “When this was detected all products produced by this machine were withdrawn. Our Blue Bell team members recovered all involved products in stores and storage. This withdrawal in no way includes our half gallons, quarts, pints, cups, three gallon ice cream or the majority of take-home frozen snack novelties.” ### You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered  You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver? Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me? Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? Yes, teeth whitening actually works—but here's why you have to dish out major bucks to see results. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Meditation Really Worth It? From easing stress to lowering heart disease risk, focusing your mind can do some amazing things for your body. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Healthiest Sweetener? Take a taste of the unsettled science of sweeteners. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Should I Go Paleo? The pros and cons of eating like a caveman. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Cracking Your Knuckles Bad? Here's what really happens to your joints when you snap, crackle and pop. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Running on a Treadmill as Good as Running Outside? You'll fool your body into thinking it's outside with this one small treadmill tweak. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Does Laughing Have Real Health Benefits? Here's proof that everybody could use a belly laugh. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What Is My Poo Telling Me? If you listen hard enough, you'll hear all kinds of health stories from #2. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME ## Transcript [00:00] One of the country's favorite treats has been linked to [00:02] three deaths in Kansas. Blue Bell Creamerys has issued [00:06] a recall on several ice cream items that are believed to [00:08] be at risk for carrying the bacteria, Listeria. Five [00:12] patients, who are already being treated in a Kansas [00:14] hospital, were infected with Listeria, and three of them [00:16] died shortly afterward. According to Blue Bell, the [00:19] potentially affected products came from one machine [00:22] at the ice cream company's headquarters in Brennum, [00:24] Texas. The machine has since been dismantled and [00:27] the involved products have been removed from stores [00:29] and storage. This is not on our cups and pints and half [00:32] gallons, not packaged ice cream. Most of these were [00:35] food service items, and there's none out there right [00:37] now. According to the food and drug administration [00:39] the Listeria bacteria multiplies at refrigerator [00:42] temperatures, and the longer the ready to eat [00:44] refrigerator foods are stored in the refrigerator ,. The [00:47] more opportunity Listeria has to grow. The centers for [00:50] disease control and prevention cites Listeria as the [00:53] third leading cause of death from food poisoning and [00:55] says about 1600 people get sick from the bacteria [00:58] strain every year. of those 16 hundred people, 90 % of [01:02] them will be pregnant women, newborns, people who [01:04] are 65 and older, and those with weakened immune [01:07] systems. We are recommending at this point, that no [01:10] one eats caramel apples. Less than three months ago [01:13] a similar outbreak spread across the country through [01:15] prepackaged caramel apples, infecting 35 people [01:18] across 12 states. And killing seven. 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