FDA Developing Plan to Prevent Next Foodborne Illness Outbreak

Months after an outbreak of deadly bacteria in ice cream that killed three and sickened seven more, U.S. regulators are near making food producers like Blue Bell Creameries Inc. have safety plans to minimize future outbreaks.

There hasn’t been a federal requirement that all food producers have a written-down plan. Blue Bell, the Texas-based ice cream maker, shut down most of its manufacturing process, and fired or furloughed most workers after the outbreak.

Two years after it was proposed, a Food and Drug Administration rule is on the brink of being made final and the agency is pushing for funding. ...