The CEO of Columbus-based Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams says the source of the listeria bacteria that shut down production and distribution in six states has been traced to the spout of a pint-filling machine.
John Lowe says the company doesn't know how the bacteria got into the machine, but that they will spend an estimated 200-thousand dollars on improvements at the production kitchen to ensure it doesn't happen again. In addition to changing the layout of the factory to prevent cross-contamination and adding cooler space, the company will now test all batches for bacteria before it ships. Jeni's announced April 23 that it would recall retail products and close ice cream shops in six states after listeria was discovered in some pints and later in the factory. Although the contaminated machine was used for pint containers and not the buckets of ice cream that go to retail shops, the company said last week it was destroying 265 tons of ice cream worth more than $2.5 million. Lowe says they hope to restart production "in the very near future."
