[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 25, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45749-45750]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18769]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 00-014R]


Announcement of and Request for Comment Regarding Industry 
Petition on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) 
Inspection

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is reopening the 
comment period on a notice published in the Federal Register on May 15, 
2000, announcing and requesting comment on a petition received by 
several trade associations requesting FSIS to amend sections of its 
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations. The 
comment period will be reopened for 60 days. This action is in response 
to a request received from the National Advisory Committee on Meat and 
Poultry Inspection (NACMPI).

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 12, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Submit one original and two copies of written comments to: 
FSIS Docket Room, Docket #00-014E, Room 102 Cotton Annex Building, 300 
12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700. All comments received in 
response to this notice will be considered part of the public record 
and will be available for viewing in the FSIS Docket Room between 8:30 
a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. FSIS is making available 
side-by-side comparison documents on the FSIS homepage at 
www.fsis.usda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel L. Engeljohn, Director, 
Regulations Development and Analysis Division, Food Safety and 
Inspection Service, Washington, DC 20250-3700, Telephone (202) 720-
5627, FAX (202) 690-0486.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 15, 2000, FSIS published a notice in 
the Federal Register announcing the availability of and requesting 
comment on a petition received from a group of trade associations (65 
FR 30952). The petition asked FSIS to amend sections of the Hazard 
Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations (9 CFR Part 
417). The petitioners argued that the changes would increase the 
effectiveness of establishments' HACCP systems and would make the 
regulations more consistent with the HACCP principles published in 1997 
by the

[[Page 45750]]

National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Food 
(NACMCF). However, the petition was submitted with no data or examples 
to support the requests being made. The notice provided a 60-day 
comment period, which ended on July 14, 2000.
    FSIS received a request from the National Advisory Committee on 
Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) to extend the comment period to 
allow the petitioners more time to provide specific examples and data 
to support the recommendations they posed in their petition. The NACMPI 
also requested that FSIS make available a set of side-by-side documents 
discussing definitions, principles, procedures, and prerequisites of 
FSIS, the Food and Drug Administration, the NACMCF, and the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission's HACCP procedures.
    In response to the requests, FSIS is reopening the comment period 
for 60 days, making comments due September 12, 2000. Also, FSIS has 
prepared a set of side-by-side documents which are now available on the 
FSIS homepage at www.fsis.usda.gov and also in the FSIS Docket Room 
(see ADDRESSES).

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to better ensure 
that minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this 
notice, FSIS will announce it and provide copies of this Federal 
Register publication in the FSIS Constituent Update. FSIS provides a 
weekly FSIS Constituent Update, which is communicated via fax to over 
300 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 FSIS 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, FSIS is able to provide 
information to a much broader, more diverse audience. For more 
information and to be added to the constituent fax list, fax your 
request to the Congressional and Public Affairs Office, at (202) 720-
5704.

    Done at Washington, DC, on: July 20, 2000.
Thomas J. Billy,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 00-18769 Filed 7-24-00; 8:45 am]
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