BRENHAM, Texas (KDAF) — A federal court in Texas ordered Blue Bell Ice Cream to pay $17.25 million in criminal penalties for shipments of contaminated ice cream in 2015.
In May 2020, Blue Bell pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of distributing contaminated ice cream. Three people died and 10 were hospitalized because of the outbreak.
According to the Department of Justice, the $17.25 million fine is the largest-ever criminal penalty following a conviction in a food safety case.
Below is the full ruling:
This summer Blue Bell’s former CEO and president was charged in relation to the case.
In 2016, Blue Bell was also ordered to pay $850,000 in fines, which could be reduced to $175,000 if it complied with testing and inspection requirements.