Blue Bell Creameries says it has entered a voluntary agreement with the Alabama Department of Public Health that includes requiring the company to inform the state whenever there is a positive test result for listeria in its products or ingredients.
The Alabama agreement is similar to those the company reached last month with regulatory agencies in Texas and Oklahoma. Blue Bell has plants in the three states.
The agreements follow the Brenham, Texas-based company's failure to tell federal or state health officials of repeated findings of listeria at its Oklahoma plant dating back to 2013.
Along with more general requirements, the agreement also includes specific provisions to address listeria, including notifying the state of positive tests and giving state agencies full access to testing.
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