We All Scream Without Ice Cream: The Blue Bell Listeria Crisis

Abstract

Housed in the small town of Brenham, Texas is the home of Blue Bell Ice Cream. The town has been linked to “The Little Creamery in Brenham” since Blue Bell ice cream began being produced in the town starting in 1907 (bluebell.com). As Swartz (2015) stated in an article covering the creamery for Texas Monthly Magazine, the town and the ice cream makers developed their identity as a small-town, old-time, and safe product, based on the same ideals on which the townspeople prided themselves. One of the best-selling Blue Bell products is their “homemade vanilla” flavor. The people of Brenham rely on Blue Bell to satisfy any number of needs, such as work, charitable donations, infrastructure, and scholarships, just to name a few. When Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) was found in the company’s products, both the town and the company were sent into a crisis that would impact the safety of the small town and the “little creamery” with which they were all familiar.