State health department fines Blue Bell $850,000 following Listeria outbreak
Blue Bell Creameries has been fined $850,000 by Texas health officials as a penalty for a Listeria outbreak announced last year, that sickened 10 people, was linked to three deaths and led to a total shut down of company operations. But the company may only end up paying a fraction of that amount.
Under an enforcement agreement announced Friday between Brenham-based Blue Bell and the Texas Department of State Health Services, $175,000 must be paid within 30 days. The remaining $675,000 will be paid only if the company violates the terms of the agreement during an 18-month period.
Assuming all goes well with monitoring and testing, "upon successful completion of the eighteen-month term, the remaining balance of funds held in abeyance will be forgiven by" the state, the agreement said.
Officials with Blue Bell could not be reached for comment.
Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/20160729-state-health-department-fines-blue-bell-850000-following-listeria-outbreak.ece