A stomach-churning video of a shopper licking Blue Bell ice cream before returning it to a grocery store freezer has gone viral, racking up millions of views and prompting thousands of comments from disgusted social media users.

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Now, the Texas-based creamery is trying to find the culprit, according to KTRK.

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"We want to thank our consumers for alerting us to the incident this past weekend of a video posted to social media showing a Blue Bell item being tampered with," the company said in a statement Monday. "We take this issue very seriously and are currently working with law enforcement, retail partners and social media platforms. This type of incident will not be tolerated."

Blue Bell stressed that it considers food safety a "top priority."

"We work hard to provide a safe product and maintain the highest level of confidence from our consumers," the statement continued. "During production, our half-gallons are flipped upside down and sent to a hardening room where the ice cream freezes to the lid creating a natural seal. The lids are frozen tightly to the carton. Any attempt at opening the product should be noticeable."

The location of the store featured in the video wasn't immediately clear, USA Today reported.

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In 2022, Georgia Power projected its winter peak electricity demand would grow by about 400 megawatts by 2031. Since then, Georgia has experienced a boom of data centers, which require a large load of electricty to run, and Georgia Power's recent forecast shows peak demand growing by 20 times the 400-megawatt estimate from just three years ago. (Illustration by Philip Robibero/AJC)

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