The company that made the cookie dough implicated in a recent recall of Blue Bell ice cream says that the same egg-free cookie dough has been distributed to more than two dozen other food companies, and so far only one has come forward. Meanwhile, an expansion of the cookie dough recall means that Blue Bell has expanded its own recall in turn, and there’s now more ice cream out there that’s potentially dangerous and no one should eat.

The dough company, Aspen Hills in Iowa, sells frozen cookie dough for fundraisers and supplies bulk cookie dough to other food companies. Batches of eggless cookie dough, used for the ice cream flavor, were found to have Listeria bacteria and recalled.

According to the Associated Press, Aspen Hills found evidence of Listeria in its facilities, and an investigation turned up safety lapses including inadequate documentation and employees not wearing uniforms where they should.

Aspen Hills reports that affected cookie dough was distributed to 27 clients, two of which have announced recalls of their ice cream.

Blue Bell had already recalled the flavors of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Cookie Two Step, and has now expanded its recall.

Affected products sold to consumers now include both half gallons and pints of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough produced between Feb. 2, 2016 and Sept. 7, 2016. Three-gallon containers sold to food service establishments have also been recalled, in the flavors Blue Monster, Chocolate Chip Cookie, and Krazy Kookie Dough.

These products were shipped to Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Customers with affected products have been asked to bring them back to the store for a refund and to not eat them. As with the last Listeria outbreak, customers want to defy the recall and eat their ice cream anyway. Blue Bell representatives on Facebook are discouraging them from doing so, for liability reasons and because it’s basic common sense.

Remember, even if you already ate some ice cream and aren’t sick yet, the incubation period between consuming the bacteria and becoming ill is up to 70 days.

If you have questions about the recall or about the ice cream in your own freezer, call 979-836-7977.

Supermarket chain Publix announced its own ice cream recall linked to the same cookie dough bites, warning customers who bought cookie dough ice cream in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, and North Carolina not to eat the product.

Look for a sell by date of May 27, 2017, and return the ice cream to the store for a refund. Call 1-800-242-1227 if you have any questions about the recall or ice cream in your own freezer.

UPDATE: As predicted, more brands are joining the recall list.

Blue Bunny is recalling its Hoppin’ Holidoodle flavor, which uses snickerdoodle dough from Aspen Hills. Affected containers with “best before” dates of 02/13/18 distributed in Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Chocolate Shoppe ice cream that was distributed to ice cream shops and sold in pints as also recalled. Ice cream sold to consumers in pints were in the flavor Cookie Dough with “best before” dates of 12/13/17, 12/9/17, and 11/26/17.

OUTSIDE SUPPLIER ASPEN HILLS EXPANDS COOKIE DOUGH RECALL; BLUE BELL RECALLS ALL PRODUCTS MADE WITH ASPEN HILLS COOKIE DOUGH DUE TO POTENTIAL HEALTH RISK [Blue Bell]
Publix Premium Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream [Publix]

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