[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 160 (Tuesday, August 19, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 44105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-21839]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 160 / Tuesday, August 19, 1997 / 
Notices  

[[Page 44105]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 97-046N]

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. 97N-0322]


Technical Meeting on Shell Eggs and Egg Products Risk Assessment

AGENCIES: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA; Food and Drug 
Administration, FDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection 
Service (FSIS) and the Department of Health and Human Services' Food 
and Drug Administration (FDA) are holding a joint technical meeting to 
present and solicit data necessary to create a risk assessment for 
shell eggs and egg products. The meeting will focus on the information 
concerning the parameter values for a risk assessment of Salmonella 
enteritidis in shell eggs and egg products; consumer preparation and 
consumption patterns of these products; human illness linked to shell 
eggs and egg products; and potential intervention strategies at various 
points along the shell egg and egg product production chain.

DATES: The meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., September 
3, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Ellipse Conference Center at 
Ballston, in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association 
Building, 4301 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Va 22203.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
To register for the meeting, contact Ms. Traci Phebus at (202) 501-
7138, FAX (202) 501-7642, or E-mail to [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. Technical papers 
will be accepted and made part of the official record. They should be 
sent to Ms. Mary Harris, FSIS, Planning Office, 6904 Franklin Court 
Building, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
    Copies of a draft report, ``Parameter Values for a Risk Assessment 
of Salmonella enteritidis in Shell Eggs and Egg Products,'' will be 
available after August 18. To receive a copy, contact Ms. Harris at 
(202) 501-7315. Copies also will be available from the following: FSIS 
at http://www.usda.gov/fsis. Participants who require a sign language 
interpreter or other special accommodations should contact Ms. Harris 
at the above telephone or FAX (202) 501-7642 by August 25, 1997.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Salmonella enteritidis (SE) is one of the leading causes of 
foodborne illness in the United States, with an estimated 1.8 to 2.5 
million cases each year. USDA's Economic Research Service estimates 
that medical costs, loss of productivity, and loss of life associated 
with salmonellosis range from $0.6 to $3.5 billion annually. Further, 
Salmonella enteritidis has been one of the most frequently implicated 
strains of Salmonella since the mid 1980's and currently accounts for 
more than a quarter of all isolates reported to the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention. USDA and FDA, therefore, believe it is 
important to evaluate the risk of foodborne illness from SE from the 
consumption of eggs and egg products and to begin to identify 
intervention options that are most effective in reducing the public 
health risk in a cost-effective manner.
    USDA and FDA are conducting a chick-to-table quantitative risk 
assessment for shell eggs and egg products to establish the unmitigated 
risk of foodborne illness with emphasis on Salmonella enteritidis, 
evaluate various risk mitigation strategies, identify data needs and 
prioritize future data collection efforts.
    FSIS and FDA share Federal jurisdiction over the safety of eggs and 
egg products and wish to identify actions they might take themselves, 
or in concert with other Agencies, organizations, or persons, to 
decrease the food safety risks associated with shell eggs and egg 
products. Alternatives under consideration include guidance, 
cooperative programs, market-based solutions, and regulations. The 
Agencies are particularly interested in mitigations that have been 
successful in marketing channels and the costs of those mitigations.

    Done at Washington, DC, on: August 13, 1997.
Thomas J. Billy,
Administrator, Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Janice F. Oliver,
Deputy Director, Systems and Support, Center for Food Safety and 
Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration.
[FR Doc. 97-21839 Filed 8-18-97; 8:45 am]
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