blue bellBlue Bell Creameries, the ice cream and frozen treats maker crippled by a deadly listeria outbreak and recall, is relying on kglobal for PR counsel.

Gene Grabowski, the crisis and food PR veteranand kglobal partner, is advising the Brenham, Tex.-based company, which on April 20 recalled all of its products on the market and urged consumers to throw out Blue Bell products in their homes. Joe Robertson, a former sales manager for Blue Bell, heads in-house advertising and PR.

The Centers for Disease Control this week recommended that consumers do not eat any Blue Bell brand products, and urged retailers not to sell or serve them. The federal agency told NBC News that the listeria outbreak has been quietly going on for as long as five years.

"We're committed to doing the 100 percent right thing, and the best way to do that is to take all of our products off the market until we can be confident that they are all safe," said CEO and president Paul Kruse.

Ten people have contracted listeriosis in three states, including three deaths in Kansas.