Blue Bell cookie dough ice cream has been tied to Listeria contamination and a nut allergen recall. A 2015 outbreak linked to Blue Bell products sickened 10 people, and three deaths were reported. Blue Bell recalled all of its products.
In August 2025, Blue Bell recalled Moo-llennium Crunch half gallons packed in Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cartons because of undeclared almond, walnut and pecan. Stop using any recalled carton.
No consumer lawsuit or MDL names Blue Bell cookie dough ice cream. Related legal actions include a shareholder settlement and a former CEO’s sentence.
- Case or litigation name: Blue Bell Listeria outbreak claims (no cookie dough case)
- Defendants: Blue Bell Creameries
- Court and docket number, when available: No filed case
- MDL number, judge, and case count, when an MDL exists: No MDL
- Filing date: No filed case
- Main allegations: Listeria contamination of Blue Bell ice cream in the 2015 outbreak; a 2017 shareholder suit alleged the company ignored reports of unsanitary conditions
- Products or people involved: Blue Bell Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream half gallons produced March 17, 2015 and March 27, 2015, and people sickened in the 2015 Blue Bell listeriosis outbreak
Table Of Contents
- Latest Blue Bell Cookie Dough Ice Cream Lawsuit Updates
- August 22, 2025: Blue Bell Recalls Mislabeled Half Gallons
- July 30, 2025: Stockholders Seek Settlement Records
- March 28, 2023: Former CEO Is Sentenced
- July 13, 2020: Court Approves Shareholder Settlement
- January 10, 2017: FDA Warns Cookie Dough Supplier
- June 10, 2015: CDC Ends Outbreak Investigation
- May 14, 2015: Texas Sets Guidelines for Sales
- May 7, 2015: FDA Releases Inspection Findings
- April 20, 2015: Blue Bell Recalls All Products
- What Is Listeriosis?
- Who May Be Affected?
- Reported Injuries or Damages
- Recall and Regulatory Background
- Evidence to Preserve
- Filing Deadlines
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How Do I Contact Blue Bell About the 2025 Cookie Dough Carton Recall?
- What Are the Symptoms of Listeriosis After Eating Contaminated Ice Cream?
- What Does the Research Say About Blue Bell Listeria Illnesses?
- What Did Texas Require Before Blue Bell Sold Ice Cream Again?
- Where Were the 2025 Blue Bell Half Gallons Sold?
- References
August 22, 2025: Blue Bell Recalls Mislabeled Half Gallons
On August 22, 2025, Blue Bell recalled a limited quantity of Moo-llennium Crunch Ice Cream half gallons. They were mistakenly packaged in Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cartons and contain undeclared almond, walnut and pecan [1].
The lot code is 061027524. A Blue Bell employee discovered the incorrect packaging on two half gallons while restocking a retailer. Blue Bell said no illnesses or adverse reactions have been reported to date.
July 30, 2025: Stockholders Seek Settlement Records
Law360 reported that attorneys for a Blue Bell stockholder class asked the Delaware Court of Chancery for an order compelling access to records [2]. The records concern a settlement of liability claims after the 2015 contamination.
March 28, 2023: Former CEO Is Sentenced
Law.com reported that former Blue Bell CEO Paul Kruse was sentenced to pay $100,000. He had pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of introducing adulterated food into the market [3].
His earlier felony trial had ended in a mistrial. The sentence is one of the legal actions tied to the 2015 outbreak, and it does not name cookie dough ice cream as the product.
Bloomberg Law reported that the court approved a $60 million settlement. It was between Blue Bell Creameries and a shareholder in a derivative suit over the 2015 listeria outbreak [4].
Attorneys’ fees were $9 million. The shareholder filed the suit in 2017 and alleged that the company ignored reports of unsanitary conditions. The settlement resolved an allegation and is not a finding.
The FDA sent a warning letter to Aspen Hills, the Iowa cookie dough supplier tied to the September 2016 Blue Bell recalls. Food Safety News reported that serious violations remained [5].
The FDA inspection of Aspen Hills ran from September 27 to October 6, 2016. Food Safety News later reported that Aspen Hills ceased production at the end of December 2016 [6].
June 10, 2015: CDC Ends Outbreak Investigation
The CDC posted its final update on the multistate listeriosis outbreak linked to Blue Bell products. The update stated that the outbreak investigation is over [7].
May 14, 2015: Texas Sets Guidelines for Sales
The Texas Department of State Health Services set guidelines for Blue Bell to begin selling ice cream in the state again, as FOX 4 reported [8].
Each Blue Bell production line must test negative before the company can begin selling products. The guidelines followed the outbreak and the April recall.
May 7, 2015: FDA Releases Inspection Findings
On May 7, 2015, the FDA released the findings from recent inspections at three Blue Bell plants, the CDC reported.
The plants were in Brenham, Texas, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Sylacauga, Alabama. The findings came after the April recall of all Blue Bell products.
April 20, 2015: Blue Bell Recalls All Products
Blue Bell Creameries voluntarily recalled all of its products on the market. The CDC lists ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and frozen snacks.
Company sampling had found Listeria in Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream half gallons produced March 17, 2015 and March 27, 2015.
What Is Listeriosis?
Listeria monocytogenes is, according to the FDA, a disease-causing bacterium. It is found in soil, water, sewage, plants and animals [9]. Eating food that carries it may lead to a disease called listeriosis.
The CDC calls listeriosis a life-threatening infection. In 2015, the CDC linked cases of it to Blue Bell ice cream.
Who May Be Affected?
People who ate Blue Bell products recalled in April 2015 may be affected. That includes the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough half gallons.
The CDC advised that recalled products may still be in freezers. That advice matters most for pregnant women, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems.
For the August 2025 recall, the circumstance is an allergy or severe sensitivity to almonds, walnuts and pecans. It applies to a Moo-llennium Crunch half gallon in a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough carton.
Whether a claim exists would depend on an individual legal review of your facts, including what you ate and when you became ill.
Reported Injuries or Damages
The CDC reported 10 people with listeriosis from 4 states: Arizona 1, Kansas 5, Oklahoma 1 and Texas 3. All 10 were hospitalized. Three deaths were reported from Kansas.
Illness onsets ranged from January 2010 through January 2015. These are CDC outbreak findings, separate from the claims in the shareholder suit.
CDC investigators used PulseNet DNA fingerprinting to connect the cases. The CDC said various Blue Bell brand products are the source of this outbreak. They were made in Texas and Oklahoma facilities.
Recall and Regulatory Background
Blue Bell has had three recalls tied to cookie dough products, in 2015, 2016 and 2025. A recall does not prove liability.
In September 2016, Blue Bell found Listeria in cookie dough ice cream made with dough from supplier Aspen Hills. That led to recalls of Blue Bell and Blue Bunny ice cream.
Evidence to Preserve
If you or a family member became ill after eating Blue Bell ice cream, keep these items together and in a safe place:
- The carton or lid code, and the product itself if it is still in the freezer
- Receipts, loyalty-card records or bank statements showing the purchase
- Photographs of the packaging
- Medical records and lab reports showing a listeria diagnosis
- Dates of symptoms and hospital stays
- Notes on who ate the ice cream
Write down names, dates and places while your memory is fresh. Add new records to the same folder as you receive them.
Filing Deadlines
Filing deadlines come from state law. They vary with where you live and when the illness, exposure and diagnosis happened.
Some states start the clock at diagnosis, not at the time of exposure. That can change the date a claim must be filed.
Filing late can end a claim, even when the injury is well documented. Because dates differ by state and by case, check with a lawyer promptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
To contact Blue Bell about the 2025 cookie dough carton recall, call the company at 979-836-7977 Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, or send an email to consumerrelations@bluebell.com.
What Are the Symptoms of Listeriosis After Eating Contaminated Ice Cream?
The symptoms of listeriosis after eating contaminated ice cream differ by form. Per the FDA, milder cases can cause fever, aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. These often last 1 to 3 days. Invasive cases may cause headache, stiff neck, confusion and convulsions.
What Does the Research Say About Blue Bell Listeria Illnesses?
The research on Blue Bell listeria illnesses includes CDC whole genome sequencing reported on April 21, 2015. It confirmed that the people sick in Arizona and Oklahoma were part of the outbreak, which brought the total to 10 cases.
What Did Texas Require Before Blue Bell Sold Ice Cream Again?
Before Blue Bell sold ice cream again, Texas required it to report any possible listeria contamination within 24 hours for two years after production began. Inspectors also needed two weeks of notice for a full test of the Brenham facility.
Where Were the 2025 Blue Bell Half Gallons Sold?
The 2025 Blue Bell half gallons went to stores in Alabama, Arkansas, the Florida Panhandle, Northwest Georgia, Southern Indiana, Southern Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Southwest Virginia. Sale was through retail outlets.
References
- https://www.bluebell.com/news/blue-bell-issues-allergy-alert-on-undeclared-almond-walnut-and-pecan-in-moo-llennium-crunch-ice-cream-pacakged-in-a-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-half-gallon-carton-with-a-moo-llennium-crunch-ice-crea/
- https://www.law360.com/articles/2371269
- https://www.law.com/texaslawyer/2023/03/28/months-after-mistrial-former-blue-bell-ceo-sentenced-to-pay-100000/
- https://news.bloomberglaw.com/esg/blue-bells-60-million-listeria-settlement-gets-court-approval
- https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2017/01/cookie-dough-producer-on-notice-from-fda-for-listeria-issues
- https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2017/02/cookie-dough-company-closes-in-wake-of-recalls-for-listeria
- https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/listeria/outbreaks/ice-cream-03-15/index.html
- https://www.fox4news.com/news/blue-bell-agrees-to-state-inspection-guidelines
- https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborne-pathogens/listeria-listeriosis