[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 167 (Monday, August 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47165-47166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-22430]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety Inspection Service
[Docket No. 99-042N]


National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria 
for Foods (NACMCF) will hold a public meeting on September 21-24, 1999, 
to review and discuss ongoing work on Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) and 
Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus) risk assessments and to 
address the issue of bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods at 
retail.

DATES: The full committee will hold a public meeting on bare-hand 
contact of ready-to-eat foods at retail, on Tuesday and Wednesday, 
September 21-22, 1999, beginning at 8:00 a.m. On Wednesday afternoon, 
September 22, beginning at 1:30 p.m. there will be an update on 
performance criteria for fresh juice. The full committee will reconvene 
on Thursday and Friday, September 23-24, 1999, beginning at 8:00 a.m. 
to discuss Lm and V. parahaemolyticus risk assessments. Also, on 
Friday, September 24, 1999, beginning at 3:15 p.m., the full committee 
will review for adoption the Small Plant Hazard Analysis Guidelines.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Washington Plaza Hotel, #10 
Thomas Circle NW, at Massachusetts Avenue & 14th Street, Washington, DC 
20005, telephone number (202) 842-1300.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Persons wishing to register for the 
meeting, should contact Ms. Mary Harris, (202) 501-7315, Fax (202) 501-
7615, e-mail address: [email protected] or mailing address: Food 
Safety and Inspection Service, Department of Agriculture, Room 6904E--
Franklin Court, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-
3700. Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or other special 
accommodations should notify Ms. Harris, by September 10, 1999.
    If you wish to make an oral presentation on any of the meeting 
topics you must contact Ms. Catherine M. DeRoever at (202) 205-4251, 
fax: (202) 205-4970, or e-mail address: [email protected] and 
submit (1) a brief written statement regarding the general nature of 
comments and (2) the name, address, and telephone number, of the person 
who will be giving the presentation. Because of the anticipated number 
of individuals who may wish to make a public statement, it is likely 
that the committee will limit the time allotted for the presentations. 
Reservations to make a public statement will be taken on a first come, 
first served basis. All requests to make a presentation must be 
received no later than 4:30 p.m., September 8, 1999. Any documents 
submitted become part of the Committee records.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The NACMCF provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of 
Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, regarding 
the microbiological safety of foods. The Committee also provides advice 
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Departments 
of Commerce and Defense. Dr. I. Kaye Wachsmuth, Deputy Administrator, 
Office of Public Health and Science, FSIS, is the Committee Chair.
    During the full committee meeting on bare-hand contact with ready-
to-eat foods at retail, the committee will discuss the many scientific 
issues having to do with food worker hand contact of ready-to-eat 
foods. They will evaluate the risk of transmitting bacterial, viral, 
and parasitic pathogens from food workers, via ready-to-eat foods, to 
consumers, and the effectiveness of interventions.
    During the full committee meeting on Lm, the preliminary risk 
assessment that addresses the presence of Lm in specific food groups, 
the consumption of these foods by various subpopulations including 
their total intake and health response, will be reviewed. Comments will 
be requested on the methodology used, the interpretation of data, and 
any additional assessments that should be made. At the V. 
parahaemolyticus risk assessment session, an update on the information, 
data, and parameters, will be given along with a summation of the risk 
assessment findings to date. Again, comments will be requested on the 
methodology used, the interpretation of data, and any additional 
assessments that should be made.
    The Meat and Poultry Subcommittee will submit the Small Plant 
Hazard Analysis Guidelines for adoption by the full committee.

Additional Public Notification

    Pursuant to Departmental Regulation 4300-4, ``Civil Rights Impact 
Analysis,'' dated September 22, 1993, FSIS has considered the potential 
civil rights impact of this notice on minorities, women, and persons 
with disabilities. Therefore, to better ensure that these groups and 
others are made aware of this meeting, FSIS will announce it and 
provide copies of the Federal Register publication in the FSIS 
Constituent Update.
    The Agency provides a weekly FSIS Constituent Update, which is 
communicated via fax to over 300

[[Page 47166]]

organizations and individuals. In addition, the update is available on 
line through the FSIS web page located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov. The 
update is used to provide information regarding Agency policies, 
procedures, regulations, Federal Register Notices, FSIS public 
meetings, recalls, and any other types of information that could affect 
or would be of interest to our constituents/stakeholders. The 
constituent fax list consists of industry, trade, and farm groups, 
consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, scientific 
professionals, and other individuals that have requested to be 
included. Through these various channels, the Agency is able to provide 
information with a much broader, more diverse audience. For more 
information and to be added to the constituent fax list, fax your 
request to the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, at (202) 
720-5704.

    Done at Washington, DC on: August 25, 1999.
Thomas J. Billy,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-22430 Filed 8-27-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P