Blue Bell Ice Cream Returns to San Angelo

Blue Bell ice cream lovers in San Angelo, rejoice! Your favorite ice cream is back after a long absence, announced Lynn Shipley, unit director for H-E-B.

“We have an end-cap and we have a side counter pack full [of ice cream],” Shipley confirmed Monday morning.

According to OA online, Blue Bell recalled all products in April after its treats were linked to 10 listeria cases, which caused three deaths in Kansas. Listeria bacteria can cause serious illness, primarily in older adults, pregnant women and people with a weak immune system.

As a result, the Brenham-based company in Texas faced intense regulatory scrutiny while overhauling its plants in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas. However, the company was allowed to resume limited sales in August.

Shipley said when Blue Bell first went away, many customers didn’t understand why.

“I think the key thing was to ensure our customers that [the company] was having some difficulties at the plant, and due to quality control, [officials] decided to pull it off the counter.”

At the time, Shipley ensured customers H-E-B would get Blue Bell back in, and today that promise has been fulfilled.

Shipley said he went to the back of the store to ensure that H-E-B had enough quantity of Blue Bell ice cream to meet customer needs, and things look good.

“We’re in good shape,” the director stated. “Now that we got it back in, I think we’re going to have a better stock than anybody in town because we took an in cap and we also took a side cap. Most people are going to have a regular set. We over expanded it.”

By end cap and side cap, Shipley said the ice cream can be found on aisle 22 in the frozen food aisle. When shoppers turn on that aisle, they will sill ice cream in the frozen in cap area and in the regular hold section.

Shipley added, “When everybody sells out, we’ll still have some, but I don’t know how long the quantities will hold up. I do know that [officials] are going to continue to watch this closely and keep it coming in, so I’m sure [the ice cream] is going to be non-stop in production.”

All sites that will get Blue Bell include Abilene, Beaumont, Big Spring, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Harlingen, Laredo, Longview, Lubbock, Lufkin, Midland, McAllen, Odessa, San Antonio, Tyler and the surrounding areas. Central and southern Alabama will also receive shipments.