Milling & Baking News - February 14, 2017 - 12

Business X

Cookie dough company linked to
Listeria outbreak halts operations
GARNER, IOWA - Aspen Hills, Inc.,
a cookie dough manufacturer linked
to a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak
in Blue Bell Creameries products, has
ceased production.
"After much consideration, our
owners have decided to end their involvement in the company and are actively looking to wind up their affairs
through a sale or other orderly disposition," said Jon Austin, a spokesman for the Garner-based company.
"While that process is under way, we
have ceased production as of the end
of December. Even so, we are committed to addressing any questions
raised by the F.D.A. so that the agency
can be assured that our commitment
to the safety and wholesomeness of
our products will not waver even as
we exit the market. To that end, we
have detailed for the agency the many
changes to our procedures and practices we put in place in response to its
oversight; we appreciate the partnership and professionalism of its personnel throughout this process."
Blue Bell Creameries, Brenham, Texas, last September said it voluntarily
was recalling certain ice cream products. Blue Bell identified the potential
problem through internal testing and

notified Aspen Hills, which then issued a voluntary recall of the products
supplied to Blue Bell. In October, Blue
Bell Creameries expanded the recall to
all products made with cookie dough
that may be contaminated with Listeria
monocytogenes.
The Food and Drug
Administration issued
a warning letter dated
Jan. 10 of this year to
Aspen Hills. The F.D.A.
said it had inspected the
company's frozen cookie
dough manufacturing
facility from Sept. 27 through Oct. 6,
2016. Environmental samples collected from various areas in the facility
found the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. The F.D.A. investigators also
observed "serious violations" of the
Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for food.
"The presence of L. monocytogenes
in your facility is significant because
it demonstrates your cleaning and
sanitation practices are inadequate to
effectively control pathogens in your
facility to prevent contamination of
food," the F.D.A. letter said. "Furthermore, L. monocytogenes found in the
environment of your facility increases

the risk of your finished product becoming contaminated."
The F.D.A. letter acknowledged Aspen Hills took corrective actions after
the F.D.A. presented its findings to the
company. Aspen Hills hired a thirdparty laboratory and consultant group
to conduct a review of operations and
to make recommendations to changes
in policy and procedures. It also included revising Standard Operating Procedures in the
three areas of environmental pathogen monitoring, product sampling
and testing, and cleaning
and sanitizing facilities.
Aspen Hills conducted a voluntary recall of
all lots of ready-to-eat cookie dough
produced at the facility between June
8 and Sept. 30, 2016.
Thomas and Nancy Lundeen own
Aspen Hills. The company's facility had a daily production capacity of
180,000 lbs of product, which allowed
the company to meet peak season
needs of fund-raising, according to
the company's web site. Aspen Hills
offered cookie dough in such varieties as chocolate chunk, peanut butter,
oatmeal raisin, white chocolate macadamia and snickerdoodle. The company also offered such frozen items
as cheesecake, cinnamon rolls and
French bread pizza. MBN

Bridor to invest C$40
CSM delays closing
million to double bakery of Houston area food
size in Quebec
manufacturing facility
MONTREAL - Bridor, a maker of bread and pastries for
retail and food service, has announced plans to invest C$40
million to double the size of its bakery in Boucherville,
Que., and increase production capacity at the plant by 80%.
"The company is experiencing significant growth for
several years, and this investment represents our deep commitment to our customers to continuously improve what
we can offer them," said Jean-François
Duquesne, chief executive officer of
Bridor. "We are proud to combine the
traditional know-how of the European
bakery with an advanced industrial
technology. This particularity allows us to produce largescale breads and viennoiseries high-end."
The expansion is expected to create nearly 60 new jobs,
including several for a number of operators who specialize in industrial production. The initiative also is part of a
larger C$400 million five-year investment put in place by
Louis Le Duff, chairman and founder of Groupe Le Duff,
owner of Bridor. MBN
12 / February 14, 2017 XMilling & Baking News

SUGAR LAND, TEXAS - CSM Bakery Solutions, which
last spring said it would close its food manufacturing facility in the Houston area by October 2016, now expects to
close the facility around March 31.
At the time of the original announcement, CSM cited
"lack of capacity and other constraints" as the reason behind the closing. In a more recent filing with the Texas
Workforce Commission on Feb. 6 the company said it plans
to lay off 147 people.
The Atlanta-based company said it has been able to adjust its manufacturing footprint to keep the Texas facility
open longer than the planned 2016 phase-out.
CSM Bakery Solutions produces and distributes bakery products and ingredients for artisan and industrial
bakeries and for in-store and out-of-home markets,
mainly in Europe and North America. CSM has annual
revenues of approximately $3 billion and more than
45,000 global customers, with a global footprint and
integrated supply chain that includes 34 manufacturing facilities, 26 distribution centers and 4 innovation
centers. MBN
bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

http://www.bakingbusiness.com http://www.world-grain.com

Milling & Baking News - February 14, 2017

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