[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 205 (Monday, October 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63229-63230]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-27106]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 00-014R2]


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

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice, re-opening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is, for the 
second time, reopening the comment period on a notice published in the 
Federal Register on May 15, 2000, announcing the availability of and 
requesting comment on a petition received from several trade 
associations. The petitioners requested FSIS to amend sections of its 
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations. The 
comment period will be reopened for an additional 60 days.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 22, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Submit one original and two copies of written comments to: 
FSIS Docket Room, Docket #00-014R2, 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.

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 National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Food 
(NACMCF). However, the petition was submitted with no data or specific 
examples to support the requests being made. The notice provided a 60-
day comment period, which ended on July 14, 2000.
    FSIS has 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 reopened the comment period for 
60 days (65 FR 45749), making comments due September 12, 2000. Also, 
FSIS prepared a set of side-by-side documents which are available on 
the FSIS homepage at www.fsis.usda.gov and also in the FSIS Docket Room 
(see ADDRESSES).
    FSIS has received another request from a group of trade 
associations to reopen the comment period once again to allow more time 
for analysis and comment development. The group believes the additional 
time will improve their comments which will help to aid in the 
refinement of the HACCP regulations.
    In response to this request, FSIS is reopening the comment period 
for an additional 60 days, making comments due December 22, 2000. 
Comments received from September 13, 2000, until the date of this 
publication will also be included in the official record.

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

[[Page 63230]]

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: October 13, 2000.
Thomas J. Billy,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 00-27106 Filed 10-20-00; 8:45 am]
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