In July 2019, The Blue Bell Creameries faced an issue that went viral after a teenage female licked one of their ice cream tubs at a Walmart in Texas, then placed it back in the freezer; she was later arrested. After the incident, multiple copycats were committed, and some were jailed. These incidents resulted with severe negative reactions that violating food in such a manner is dangerous to the public health, along with criticisms that no action is taken to punish any offenders and Blue Bell for not protecting their ice cream with a plastic seal.