A criminal probe has been started by the US Department of Justice to investigate the listeria contamination episode of Blue Bell Creameries LP. The contamination was associated with emergence of several cases of illnesses, along with three deaths. The lawyers appointed by the government are now trying to find out as to what information was known to the company’s executive regarding listeria in its plants and products, as well as the subsequent measures taken by them.

The Texas-based company issued a recall of all its ice creams in April 2015 following the report of listeria contamination that had infected all the three plants of the company. Subsequent to receiving approval from the regulators, the company again started selling its ice creams in August. The approval was given after Blue Bell claimed to have undertaken detailed operational assessment. The review led to the enhancement of procedures and equipment, which ensured higher safety of the company’s products.

“It’s no longer unusual for the Justice Department to take an interest in an outbreak of this magnitude,” said James Neale, a Virginia attorney who fights foodborne-illness cases for companies, but is not involved in Blue Bell case.

The records were released for public by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) following the recall issued by Blue Bell. The records revealed that the company’s operations were not in line with the protocols suggested by the government and industry groups. If the company would have followed the recommendations, which included formulating a detailed food-safety program, the contamination might not have occurred. The program has been made mandatory by the FDA during the finalization of implementation rules for the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act.