[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 22, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56771-56772]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-21315]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration


Food and Drug Administration Report on the Occurrence of 
Foodborne Illness Risk Factors Within Selected Institutional 
Foodservice, Restaurant, and Retail Food Store Facility Types (2004); 
Availability

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the 
availability of a report entitled ``FDA Report on the Occurrence of 
Foodborne Illness Risk Factors Within Selected Institutional 
Foodservice, Restaurant, and Retail Food Store Facility Types (2004)'' 
(the 2004 Report). The 2004 Report summarizes results from a data 
collection conducted in 2003 on risk factors which have been identified 
as

[[Page 56772]]

contributing to foodborne illness in institutional foodservice 
establishments, restaurants, and retail food stores: food from unsafe 
sources; inadequate cooking; improper holding temperature; contaminated 
equipment; and poor personal hygiene.

DATES: Limited paper copies of the 2004 Report will be available 
beginning September 30, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit written requests for single copies of the 2004 Report 
to Lakesha Abbey, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-
625), Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College 
Park, MD 20740. Send one self-addressed adhesive label to assist that 
office in processing your request. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section for electronic access to the 2004 Report.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lakesha Abbey, Center for Food Safety 
and Applied Nutrition (HFS-625), Food and Drug Administration, 5100 
Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740, 301-436-2440, FAX: 301-436-
2672, e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    FDA is announcing the availability of the 2004 Report. The 2004 
Report is the subject of a public meeting (via satellite downlink) 
which will be held on Wednesday, October 13, 2004, from 1 p.m. to 3 
p.m., eastern standard time. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal 
Register, FDA is announcing the satellite downlink public meeting. The 
2004 Report summarizes results from a data collection conducted in 2003 
on risk factors which have been identified as contributing to foodborne 
illness in institutional foodservice establishments, restaurants, and 
retail food stores; food from unsafe sources; inadequate cooking; 
improper holding temperature; contaminated equipment; and poor personal 
hygiene. A previous report presented data from a 1998 data collection 
on the same risk factors in institutional food-service establishments, 
restaurants, and retail food stores.
    The two reports are FDA's response to a 1996 report entitled 
``Reinventing Food Regulations'' issued under the National Performance 
Review, which concluded that foodborne illness caused by harmful 
bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms in meat, poultry, seafood, 
dairy products, and a host of other foods is a significant public 
health problem in the United States. This 1996 report required Federal 
agencies to develop performance plans that included measurable goals 
and performance indicators which resulted in the study being reported.
    In order to assess information associated with the occurrence of 
foodborne outbreaks and improve risk assessment capabilities, the level 
at which risky practices and behaviors occur had to be identified 
first. The 1998 data collection established a national baseline on the 
occurrence of foodborne disease risk factors within the retail segment 
of the food industry. The risk factors identified by the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention as contributing to foodborne illness 
that are being tracked are as follows: Food from unsafe sources, 
inadequate cooking, improper holding temperature, contaminated 
equipment, and poor personal hygiene.
    The purpose of the 2004 Report is to present the second set of data 
from the 2003 data collection on risk factors in institutional 
foodservice establishments, restaurants, and retail food stores.
    The 2004 Report is most useful when read and the data interpreted, 
as a separate stand alone report. As such, the 2004 report makes no 
attempt to draw comparisons between the results of the 1998 and 2003 
data collections. Additional data are needed before any meaningful 
assessments of trends can be made for each of the facility types.
    The results contained in the 2004 Report provide insight into the 
effectiveness of current industry management systems and food safety 
regulatory programs in controlling foodborne illness risk factors in 
retail and foodservice operations.
    The data from the 1998 study, this project, and future studies 
planned for 2008 are expected to provide input into the Healthy People 
2010's Food Safety Objective 10.6. This objective is designed to 
improve food preparation practices and food employee behaviors at 
institutional food-service establishments, restaurants, and retail food 
stores. Healthy People 2010 is a national health promotion and disease 
prevention initiative with the objective to improve the health of all 
Americans.

II. Electronic Access

    The 2004 Report is available electronically on FDA's Web site at 
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/dms/retrsk2.html.

III. Satellite Downlink to Discuss the Report's Results

    A satellite downlink public meeting will be held October 13, 2004, 
from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., eastern standard time to discuss results in the 
report. The satellite broadcast can be received at any place that has 
access to a steerable C-band satellite dish. Satellite coordinates with 
instructions on how to downlink will be posted on FDA's Web site at 
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ocer/dcm/html/program_calendar.html beginning 
September 15, 2004.

    Dated: September 16, 2004.
Jeffrey Shuren,
Assistant Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 04-21315 Filed 9-17-04; 4:06 pm]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-S