[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 116 (Thursday, June 17, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32788-32790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-15533]



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Part XII

Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Food and Drug Administration
Environmental Protection Agency
_______________________________________________________________________



President's Council on Food Safety; Notice of Meeting; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 116 / Thursday, June 17, 1999 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 98-045N]

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. 97N-0074]

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket No. OPP-00550B; FRL-6087-7]


President's Council on Food Safety; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA; Research, Education, 
and Economics, USDA; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS; 
Food and Drug Administration, HHS; Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The President's Council on Food Safety was established in 
August 1998 under Executive Order 13100 to strengthen and focus our 
efforts to coordinate food safety policy and resources. The Council was 
directed to develop a comprehensive national food safety strategic 
plan. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) are announcing a public meeting to discuss 
development of the plan. The purpose of the strategic plan is to reduce 
the annual incidence of acute and chronic foodborne and waterborne 
illness by further enhancing the safety of the nation's food supply. 
USDA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and EPA have established 
public dockets to receive comments about the President's Council on 
Food Safety strategic planning process and the plan.

DATES: The meeting will be held on July 15, 1999, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 
p.m. Comments should be submitted by September 1, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at: The Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 
Thomas Circle, Massachusetts Avenue and 14th Street, Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register for this meeting, call Ms. 
Sheila Johnson on (202) 501-7305. Persons requiring a sign language 
interpreter or other special accommodations should notify Ms. Johnson 
by July 7, 1999.
    For further information about the meeting, call Mr. Robert Tynan, 
of USDA, on (202) 205-7393 or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On January 25, 1997, the President issued a directive to 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, and report back to him in 90 days. The Federal food safety 
agencies, working with their colleagues in the States, in the food 
industries, in academia, and with consumers, initially focused on the 
goal of reducing illness caused by microbial contamination of food and 
water. This goal was to be reached through systematic improvements in 
six key components of the food safety system: Foodborne outbreak 
response coordination, surveillance, inspections, research, risk 
assessment, and education. The plan for meeting this goal was presented 
to the President in May 1997, in ``Food Safety from Farm to Table: A 
National Food Safety Initiative.''
    In less than 2 years, the agencies have taken significant strides 
forward in building a strengthened national food safety system. 
Building blocks for the infrastructure are in place: Increased targeted 
surveillance through FoodNet and PulseNet; coordination of Federal, 
State, and local responses to outbreaks by the Foodborne Outbreak 
Response Coordinating Group (FORCG); expanded reliance on preventive 
controls (such as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point 
(HACCP) based inspection systems for meat, poultry, and seafood, and 
Good Agricultural and Good Manufacturing Practices guidance for 
produce); coordination of Federal food safety research; cooperation on 
risk assessment through the interagency Risk Assessment Consortium; 
leveraging inspection resources; and innovative public and private 
partnerships. These efforts provide a common ground for moving forward.
    In the May 1997 report, the food safety agencies made a commitment 
to prepare a 5-year comprehensive strategic plan, with the 
participation of all concerned parties. By Executive Order 13100, the 
President established the President's Council on Food Safety that will 
be responsible for development of a comprehensive strategic Federal 
food safety plan. A coordinated food safety strategic planning effort 
is needed to tackle some of the difficult public health, resource, and 
management questions facing Federal food safety agencies. Although 
microbial contamination will remain an area of emphasis, the strategic 
plan will address the full range of issues (e.g., chemical 
contamination, pesticides, food additives, and physical hazards) and 
actions necessary to ensure the safety of the food and water Americans 
use and consume. The charge is to develop a strategic long-range plan 
that can be used to help set priorities, improve coordination and 
efficiency, identify gaps in the current system and how to fill those 
gaps, enhance and strengthen prevention and intervention strategies and 
identify measures to show progress. In developing the plan, the 
agencies will consider the conclusions and recommendations of the 
National Academy of Sciences Report on ``Ensuring Safe Food from 
Production to Consumption'' and the review of Federal food safety 
research and the research plan currently being developed by an 
interagency working group under the auspices of the National Science 
and Technology Council.
    The food safety agencies, as part of their work on the President's 
Council on Food Safety, have already taken the first steps to lay the 
groundwork for the development of the strategic plan by participating 
in interagency strategic planning sessions. The agencies also engaged 
consumers, producers, industry, food service providers, retailers, 
health professionals, State and local governments, Tribes, academia, 
and the public in the strategic planning process through a series of 
public meetings beginning in October 1998. The purpose of those 
meetings was to obtain the public's view on a long-term vision for food 
safety in the U.S. and to identify a strategic planning process that 
involves interested parties, addresses the important food safety 
challenges, and makes the best use of agency resources. As a result of 
those public meetings, a vision statement is currently being revised. 
The revised vision statement will be available at the July meeting.
    The Council has also developed a series of five draft food safety 
goals that create the framework for the food safety strategic plan. 
Each draft goal is accompanied by broad objectives designed to achieve 
that goal. The Council has chosen a twofold process using internal 
agency resources and external public comment involving all interested 
parties to review and refine the goals and objectives as well as to add 
more specific action items to the objectives.
    First, the Council has designated five government agency planning

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workgroups to assist in the development of a final strategic plan. Each 
workgroup will be responsible for the further development of one of the 
goals and its objectives within the plan. Under the guidance and 
direction of the Council, each workgroup will perform the following 
tasks for its assigned goal statement and objectives:
     Refine the goals and objectives provided by the Council.
     Develop the next level of action items for the plan.
     Assist in the preparation and presentation of public and 
stakeholder meetings related to the planning process by: Developing 
appropriate discussion questions related to the goal; participating in 
breakout sessions concerning the goal; and reviewing and incorporating 
appropriate public comments into the plan.
    Second, the Council wants to engage all interested stakeholders in 
the development of the actual plan as it did in the earlier dialogue 
surrounding the agencies' vision for the U.S. food safety system and 
the roles of all those involved. The Council is planning two public 
meetings during the summer and fall of 1999 to share the draft plan and 
obtain public input. In addition, the Council is considering engaging 
in a series of three to five stakeholder meetings to take place in 
conjunction with scientific or professional conferences scheduled over 
the next 6 to 9 months.
    The first public meeting is scheduled for July 15, 1999, at the 
Washington Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC. The purpose of the July 15th 
meeting is to obtain the public's input on the draft goals and 
objectives, as well as to provide comments and suggestions on specific 
action items for inclusion in the plan. The meeting is intended to be a 
working meeting; therefore, the agenda will follow almost exclusively a 
breakout session format. The breakout sessions will be organized around 
the goals and objectives and include members of the agency planning 
workgroups to lead and facilitate discussions. The workgroups are 
currently developing several illustrative action items and questions 
concerning the goals and objectives to encourage and focus participant 
comments during the breakout sessions. The agenda will be designed to 
obtain the maximum input from the participants with a minimum of 
reporting during the meeting from the breakout groups. Summaries of all 
discussions will be available within 30 days from the end of the public 
meeting. The second fall public meeting will be announced in the 
Federal Register prior to the date of the meeting. This meeting will 
obtain public input on a more refined draft of the strategic plan.
    The draft goals and objectives to be discussed at the meeting are 
as follows:

Draft Inter-Agency Food Safety Strategic Plan--Goals and Objectives

Overarching Goal: To protect public health by significantly reducing 
the number of foodborne illnesses through science-based and coordinated 
regulation, inspection, enforcement, research, and education programs.
Goal 1: Ensure the development and use of a comprehensive scientific 
and technological food safety knowledge base to support prevention, 
regulation, inspection, surveillance, and education programs.
Objectives:
     Develop a national food safety research and technology 
infrastructure.
     Develop and improve data, methods, models, and measures to 
assess health effects, including a better understanding of the factors 
that affect sensitivity to foodborne illness (e.g., age and health 
status).
     Develop new and improve existing data, methods, models, 
and measures to assess exposure, including improved analytical and 
surveillance methods.
     Develop better, integrated (uniform) national and 
international risk assessment capability and conduct risk assessments.
     Develop and improve prevention/control methods and risk 
management practices through better integration of research.
     Coordinate and evaluate research on the highest priority 
food safety issues and efficiently leverage Federal agencies' research 
resources.
     Develop adequate technological support, including advanced 
modeling technology, for risk assessment and risk management.
Goal 2: Improve the effectiveness of surveillance, outbreak 
investigation, and response.
Objectives:
     Enhance and expand foodborne disease and hazard monitoring 
and surveillance systems.
     Identify, investigate, and track the causes of foodborne 
infections to determine sources and exposed populations.
     Provide better information to health professionals and 
physicians about the causes and effects of foodborne illness to more 
effectively detect and treat these illnesses.
     Improve outbreak coordination and investigation amongst 
Federal, State, and local agencies for more efficient, effective 
responses to foodborne contamination and illness.
     Strengthen and expand traceback, intervention, and recall 
capability; improve coordination on tracebacks and recalls.
Goal 3: Identify and manage food safety risks through protective 
standards, inspection, and enforcement from farm to table.
Objectives:
     Improve the safety of the nation's food supply to protect 
public health to the greatest extent possible through priority- and 
science-based standards, guidance, and other measures, including 
effective food safety management strategies by processors and 
providers.
     Develop and implement preventive techniques and controls.
     Ensure priority-based effective and efficient monitoring 
and inspection of the food supply.
     Protect our food supply in accordance with U.S. statutes 
and where appropriate internationally recognized science-based 
standards.
     Ensure contaminated water will not contaminate food during 
its production, processing, or reconstitution.
Goal 4: Ensure that all people who come into contact with food from 
farm to table are fully informed of the risks and measures to prevent 
or reduce foodborne illnesses.
Objectives:
     Foster basic understanding of food safety principles.
     Enhance the public's timely accessibility to accurate 
information that will help them make informed decisions about their 
food and the risks.
     Provide education and information to eliminate unsafe food 
handling practices at each point in the food chain (producers, 
processors, transporters, preparers, retailers, and consumers).
     Improve communication and information to the public so 
that they are informed about foodborne illness incidences, but are not 
unduly alarmed.
Goal 5: Create a national and to the extent possible an international 
seamless food safety system from farm to table.
Objectives:
     Ensure a complete set of Federal statutory authorities for 
an effective, prevention-based food safety system, including 
authorities for information collection and dissemination, rulemaking, 
inspection, enforcement, and expedited review of food safety 
technologies.
     Develop and implement a seamless Federal food safety 
system that supports effective regulation and administration of food 
safety programs.
     Coordinate and integrate Federal, State, and local actions 
to provide efficient, effective, and timely

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protection of the food supply and eliminate gaps by focusing and 
delivering resources where they are needed.
     Optimize use of available food safety resources at all 
levels of government to carry out the monitoring, inspections, outbreak 
response, traceback, and training necessary for an appropriate level of 
public protection nationwide.
     Enhance international understanding and acceptance of food 
safety standards that are in accordance with U.S. statutes and 
international trade agreements.
    The workgroups are continuing to refine these goals, objectives, 
and action items in preparation for the July 15th meeting. Therefore, 
the material distributed at the meeting may differ slightly from the 
information provided in this Notice.

II. Public Dockets and Submission of Comments

    The Agencies have established public dockets for the President's 
Council on Food Safety Strategic Plan. Comments submitted to the 
dockets are to be identified with the appropriate docket number. For 
those comments directed to USDA, use Docket No. 98-045N, and for 
comments directed to FDA, use Docket No. 97N-0074. Commenters are 
encouraged to submit a disk with their written comments in WordPerfect 
5.1/6.1 or ASCII file format. Submit written comments (in triplicate) 
to:
USDA/FSIS
    USDA/FSIS Hearing Clerk, 300 12th Street, SW., Rm. 102 Cotton 
Annex, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
FDA
    FDA/Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 
1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
Electronic Comments
    Comments may also be submitted electronically to: 
[email protected]. All comments and data in an electronic format 
must be identified by the docket number OPP-00550. Electronic comments 
must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption.
Meeting Summaries
    Summaries of the public meeting will be posted on the Internet at: 
www.foodsafety.gov. This website is a joint FDA, USDA, and EPA food 
safety homepage. It is linked to each agency for persons seeking 
additional food safety information. Summaries of the public meeting may 
also be requested in writing from the Dockets Management Branch (HFA-
305), FDA, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852, 
approximately 15 business days after the meeting at a cost of 10 cents 
per page. The summaries of the public meeting will be available for 
public examination at the above-mentioned office between the hours of 9 
a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays.
    The public docket in its entirety will be available on the Internet 
at: http://www.epa.gov/opptsfrs/home/rules.htm#docket.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Food safety.

    Dated: June 14, 1999.
Catherine E. Woteki,
Undersecretary for Food Safety, United States Department of 
Agriculture.

    Dated: June 14, 1999.
James A. O'Hara,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human 
Services.

    Dated: June 14, 1999.
Susan H. Wayland,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic 
Substances, Environmental Protection Agency.

[FR Doc. 99-15533 Filed 6-15-99; 2:20 pm]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F