A Texas man who opened a container of Blue Bell ice cream at Walmart and licked it before placing it back in the freezer will spend 30 days in jail.

D’Adrien L’Quinn Anderson was sentenced for the viral stunt this week, which made headlines around the world after it was shared online on August 19.

In a video he uploaded to Facebook, Anderson opens the large tub, licks the surface of the ice cream repeatedly and digs his finger into the food before eating it with his hands.

“Come on, let’s go!” a friend who appears to be filming, urges him off camera.

“Happy national soft ice cream day lmao #viral,” Anderson, 24, captioned the video with 172K views.

Afterward, Anderson told 12NewsNow that he wound up paying for the vanilla ice cream, but that he regretted the stunt, in part because he lost his job.

Still, Anderson said getting arrested was an extreme measure.

“It was just a prank,” he said.

As part of the ruling, Anderson owes a fine of $US1,000 and will pay $US1,565 to Blue Bell Creameries, which replaced all the ice cream in the display case as a health precaution.

He will also serve 100 hours of community service.

A spokesperson from the District Attorney’s Office in Jefferson County declined to comment when asked about the case by Yahoo Lifestyle.

“The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office appropriately treated this incident as much more than a stunt,” a press release sent to Yahoo Lifestyle read.

“Anderson’s actions caused public concerns about the safety and quality of consumer products offered for public consumption, impacted Blue Bell consumer confidence and caused the company financial loss. This type of activity will not be tolerated.

“The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office and the Port Arthur Police Department want the public to know that such cases will be taken seriously and appropriate criminal charges will be filed.”