[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 157 (Monday, August 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49534-49535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20548]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 00-027N]


Availability of Materials on In-Distribution Activities and 
Initiatives

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing 
the availability of materials from the June 9, 2000, public meeting on 
in-distribution (ID) activities and initiatives and is providing an 
opportunity for public comment on those materials and on the matters 
presented at the public meeting. The June 9 meeting was held to discuss 
the Agency's strategy for addressing the safety of meat and poultry 
products during distribution and to provide an overview and update on 
the ID Project.

DATES: The materials will be available in the FSIS docket room and on 
the FSIS web site. Persons are invited to review and submit comments on 
the materials. Comments should be received by September 13, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Submit one original and two copies of written comments to 
FSIS Docket Clerk, Docket #00-027N, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 102 Cotton Annex Building, 300 
12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700. All comments submitted in 
response to this notice will be available for public inspection in the 
Docket Clerk's Office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Mary Cutshall, National HACCP 
Small and Very Small Plant Coordinator, at (202) 720-3219, by FAX (202) 
690-0824, or by e-mail: [email protected]. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As part of the implementation of FSIS' 
Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) 
System final rule (July 25, 1996; 61 FR 38806), the Agency is committed 
to developing strategies that address food safety hazards throughout 
the entire food production chain.
    Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products 
Inspection Act, FSIS has the authority and responsibility to ensure the 
safety of meat and poultry products during in-plant production and also 
through transportation, storage, and other handling. Traditionally, the 
Agency has assigned the greater majority of its resources to inspection 
activities in meat and poultry slaughter and processing plants.
    FSIS now is looking at strategies for monitoring the safety of meat 
and poultry products after they leave an inspected plant. One of these 
strategies is through the ID Project, which explores the effects of 
redeployment of inspection personnel outside the plant. The Agency has 
assigned 10 inspection personnel to the ID Project.
    FSIS also is working with the State of Minnesota to develop an 
alternative strategy for addressing food safety hazards and other 
problems presented by federally inspected product in distribution. 
Under this approach, the State will advise FSIS of adulterated or 
misbranded federally inspected

[[Page 49535]]

products that State inspectors find at retail, distribution, and 
warehouse centers in the course of their regular inspection activities.
    FSIS requests public comment on its current thinking about how to 
ensure that meat and poultry products in distribution do not become 
adulterated or misbranded and continue to qualify to bear USDA's mark 
of inspection. FSIS explained its current thinking at the June 9 public 
meeting.

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 more 
than 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 Agency constituents or stakeholders. 
The constituent fax list consists of industry, trade, and farm groups, 
consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, scientific 
professionals, and other individuals who 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 in Washington, DC, on: July 28, 2000.
Thomas J. Billy,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 00-20548 Filed 8-11-00; 8:45 am]
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