Blue Bell-Listeria Crisis

Blue Bell Creameries Listeria Crisis An organization’s quick response to crisis and effective crisis management are both vital to their sustainability. Blue Bell Creameries faced crisis in April, when a bacterial contamination caused operations to halt world-wide. Crisis management for this company has involved much more than finding and fixing the issue. This company has responded to financial loss, legal ramifications, employee impact, and perhaps the most crucial – public perception.

About the Company Blue Bell Creameries has been producing ice cream since 1907. This company is based in Brenham, Texas additional locations in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and Sylacauga, Alabama where they produced ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, and frozen treats. These three facilities distribute world-wide with retail sales in twenty three states and thirty three international locations. (Parker, 2015).

Company in Crisis

Our entire history has been about making the very best and highest quality ice cream and we intend to fix this problem. We want enjoying our ice cream to be a source of joy and pleasure, never a cause for concern, so we are committed to getting this right.” (Blue Bell Creameries, 2015).

The statement released by Blue Bell explains: “…Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.” (Blue Bell Creameries,