[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 55 (Friday, March 21, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13589-13590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-7155]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 97-024N]

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. 97N-0074]

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY


President's National Food Safety Initiative

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA; Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, HHS; Food and

[[Page 13590]]

Drug Administration, HHS; Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice: Public meeting; establishment of public dockets.

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food 
Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and Research, Education, and 
Economics; The Department of Health and Human Services'' Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC); and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will convene a 
meeting on March 31 to April 2, 1997, to discuss and develop for the 
President a comprehensive plan to reduce the annual incidence of 
foodborne illness by enhancing the safety of the nation's food supply. 
USDA and FDA are also establishing public dockets to receive comments 
about the President's Food Safety Initiative and the discussion draft 
and current thinking document made available on February 21, 1997.

DATES: The meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 
p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on March 31; 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on April 1; and 
from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on April 2, 1997. Comments by April 4, 
1997.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on 
Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register for the meeting, contact 
Ms.Traci Phebus at (202) 501-7138, FAX (202) 501-7642, E-mail 
[email protected]. Participants may reserve a 5-minute public 
comment period when they register. Space will be allocated on a first 
come, first served basis. Participants should also select the breakout 
sessions they plan to attend when they register. For questions about 
the meeting or to obtain copies of the draft report, ``Food Safety From 
Farm to Table: A New Strategy for the 21st Century, Discussion Draft 
and Current Thinking, A National Food Safety Initiative,'' contact Mr. 
Charles Danner, FSIS, at (202) 501-7136 or Ms. Karen Carson, FDA, at 
(202) 205-5140. Copies of the draft report also are available from the 
following: FSIS at http://www.usda.gov/fsis or FDA at http://
vm.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html or CDC at http://cdc.gov/ncidod/food.htm. 
Participants who require a sign language interpreter or other special 
accommodations should contact Ms. Jennifer Callahan at (202) 501-7138 
by March 24.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 25, 1997, the President directed 
the Secretaries of USDA and HHS and the Administrator of EPA to work 
with consumers, producers, industry, States, Tribes, universities, and 
the public to identify ways to further improve the safety of our food 
supply. The President requested that the plan focus on ``* * * further 
improvement of surveillance, inspection, research, risk assessment, 
education, and coordination among local, State, and Federal health 
authorities.''
    On March 5, 1997, the first public meeting was held to discuss the 
initiative and the issues identified by food safety experts in the 
draft report. All attendees received a copy of the draft report and 
were encouraged to review the document and develop recommendations 
related to the seven topic areas: surveillance, risk assessment, 
research, inspection, education, and coordination, and strategic 
planning to be presented at the March 31 meeting.
    The March 31 session will feature a general session with time 
allotted for public comment followed by concurrent breakout sessions: 
Bioscience Research and Coordination; and an evening session on 
Strategic Planning. On April 1, concurrent breakout sessions will be 
held in the morning on Improving Risk Assessment Tools and Improving 
Food Safety Education and in the afternoon on New Early Warning System 
for Foodborne Illness and Maximizing Inspection to Support HACCP. The 
April 2 session will include reports from each of the seven breakout 
sessions and public comment.
    The agencies are also announcing the establishment of public 
dockets about the President's Food Safety Initiative and the discussion 
draft and current thinking docket made available on February 21, 1997 
and are encouraging individuals to comment on the topics discussed at 
the March 5, 1997, meeting as well as those listed in this notice under 
Supplementary Information. The agencies are also urging individuals 
with comments on the seven topic areas of the draft report to submit 
these comments by March 28 to facilitate discussion in the breakout 
sessions. Submit written comments as follows: USDA/FSIS Hearing Clerk, 
Room 3806 South Building, Washington, DC 20250-3700 or Dockets 
Management Branch (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 12420 
Parklawn Drive, Room 1-23, Rockville, MD 20857. Comments are to be 
identified with the docket number. For those comments directed to USDA 
use Docket No. 97-024N; for comments directed to FDA, use Docket No. 
97N-0074.
    Transcripts of the public meeting may be requested in writing from 
the Freedom of Information Office (HFI-35), Food and Drug 
Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 12A-16, Rockville, MD 20857, 
approximately 15 working days after the meeting at a cost of 10 cents 
per page. The transcript of the public meeting and all submitted 
comments will be available for public examination at the Dockets 
Management Branch (address above) between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday.

    Done at Washington, DC, on March 17, 1997.
Thomas J. Billy,
Administrator, Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Fred R. Shank,
Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug 
Administration.
Donald E. Shriber,
Associate Director/Washington, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
Dana Minerva,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water, Environmental Protection 
Agency.
[FR Doc. 97-7155 Filed 3-18-97; 9:53 am]
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