The Bell Tolls for Blue Bell in Wake of Listeria Outbreak: Sarah Brew in Law360

A listeria outbreak led Blue Bell Creameries to voluntarily pull all Blue Bell products off the market on Monday, April 20, 2015. The unusual move suggests that the company may not know the full extent of the problem, nor the source of the outbreak.

Sarah Brew, partner and food litigation and regulatory practice lead at Faegre Baker Daniels explained to Law360 that termination of many of the company’s contracts with vendors in the wake of such a recall is likely. The company will also have to win back customers by showing they’ve identified the issue and have taken steps to prevent future outbreaks.

“Blue Bell’s in a really tough spot right now,” Brew said. “They’re looking at regulatory hurdles, facing issues with their customers, and there’s always the cloud of litigation as well.”