--- title: Blue Bell Creameries Contaminated Ice Cream: How It Happened description: How three people in Kansas have died after eating contaminated Blue Bell Creameries brand ice cream products. canonical: https://time.com/3744962/ice-cream-contaminated-kansas-blue-bell-creameries/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-14T17:41:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:03:09.212Z article:section: Health og:title: How Ice Cream Gets Contaminated—and Sometimes Kills og:description: What could have caused 3 deaths in Kansas og:url: https://time.com/3744962/ice-cream-contaminated-kansas-blue-bell-creameries/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee5d7ec0d3f34b41/6987839bcd1bba7d716f5af4/blue-bell.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: Blue-Bell og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Ice Cream Gets Contaminated—and Sometimes Kills twitter:description: What could have caused 3 deaths in Kansas twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee5d7ec0d3f34b41/6987839bcd1bba7d716f5af4/blue-bell.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Ice Cream Gets Contaminated—and Sometimes Kills > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=14bd7ae0-3d8e-4427-8029-2128d1221a99&cr=time-nl-network-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._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 14, 2015 5:41 PM UTC by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 14, 2015 5:41 PM UTC Three people in Kansas have [died after eating contaminated Blue Bell Creameries brand ice cream](http://time.com/3744901/kansas-patients-die-ice-cream/) products. A total of five people were infected, and the ice cream has been recalled. But how does ice cream get tainted in the first place? The bacteria that contaminated the ice cream is called _Listeria_ _monocytogenes,_ and [according to](http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/listeria/index.html) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1,600 Americans get sick from _Listeria_ every year. It’s the third leading cause of death from food poisoning. It’s the same bacteria that [contaminated caramel apples from California](http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/caramel-apples-12-14/index.html) in January, causing 35 people in 12 states to get sick, and killing seven. The bacteria grows very well at refrigerator temperatures, even as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that the longer ready-to-eat refrigerated foods are stored in the fridge, the [more opportunity the bacteria has to grow](http://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Outbreaks/ucm438104.htm). “It’s why it’s a problem for cooler foods like ice cream and cheese,” says Bill Marler, a food safety lawyer in Washington state. **MORE:** [3 Kansas Patients Die From Tainted Ice Cream](http://time.com/3744901/kansas-patients-die-ice-cream/) The FDA was able to confirm that three strains of the bacteria came from a single Blue Bell production line at one facility in Brenham, Texas, though the agency has not disclosed a precise point of contact. Blue Bell [says](http://cdn.bluebell.com/BB%5Fwithdrawal) one of its machines produced the problem. “Likely what happened is the piece of machinery was contaminated. The liquid form of the ice cream goes through the machine when it’s not yet frozen, but around 40 degrees, and it’s a great place for \[listeria\] to grow,” says Marler. It’s not the first time contaminated ice cream has sickened Americans. In December 2014, Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream, Inc. [issued a voluntary recall](http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm427940.htm) of several of its ice cream, gelato, custard and sorbet products when they tested positive Listeria, and [sickened two people](http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/snoqualmie-making-ice-cream-again-after-listeria-problems-resolved/). In 1994, 200,000 people [became ill](http://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2011-06-vitalsigns.pdf) from eating Schwan’s ice cream that had been transported by a distribution truck that had [previously transported](http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199605163342001#t=articleBackground) non-pasteurized liquid eggs contaminated with _Salmonella_. Other recent dairy outbreaks include a [2014 outbreak of ](http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/cheese-10-14/index.html)[_Listeria_](http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/cheese-10-14/index.html)in cheese and dairy products produced by Oasis Brands, Inc. Five people became ill and one died. A year earlier, [six people were infected](http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/cheese-07-13/index.html) with _Listeria_ in Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company cheese products—one person died. ### 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 One of the country's favorite treats has been linked to three deaths in Kansas. Blue Bell Creamerys has issued a recall on several ice cream items that are believed to be at risk for carrying the bacteria, Listeria. Five patients, who are already being treated in a Kansas hospital, were infected with Listeria, and three of them died shortly afterward. According to Blue Bell, the potentially affected products came from one machine at the ice cream company's headquarters in Brennum, Texas. The machine has since been dismantled and the involved products have been removed from stores and storage. This is not on our cups and pints and half gallons, not packaged ice cream. Most of these were food service items, and there's none out there right now. According to the food and drug administration the Listeria bacteria multiplies at refrigerator temperatures, and the longer the ready to eat refrigerator foods are stored in the refrigerator ,. The more opportunity Listeria has to grow. The centers for disease control and prevention cites Listeria as the third leading cause of death from food poisoning and says about 1600 people get sick from the bacteria strain every year. of those 16 hundred people, 90 % of them will be pregnant women, newborns, people who are 65 and older, and those with weakened immune systems. We are recommending at this point, that no one eats caramel apples. Less than three months ago a similar outbreak spread across the country through prepackaged caramel apples, infecting 35 people across 12 states. And killing seven. 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