[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 27, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21731-21732]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8405]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 05-009N]


Notice of Request for a New Information Collection (Consumer 
Complaint Monitoring System and the Food Safety Mobile Questionnaire)

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice 
announces the Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS) intention to 
request a new information collection regarding its Consumer Complaint 
Monitoring System web portal and its electronic Food Safety Mobile 
questionnaire.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before June 27, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments on this 
information collection request. Comments may be submitted by Mail, 
including floppy disks or CD-ROM's, and hand-or courier-delivered 
items: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food 
Safety and Inspection Service, 300 12th Street, SW., Room 102 Cotton 
Annex, Washington, DC 20250.
    All submissions received must include the Agency name and docket 
number 05-009N.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice, as well as 
research and background information used by FSIS in developing this 
document, will be available for public inspection in the FSIS Docket 
Room at the address listed above between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The comments also will 
be posted on the Agency's Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/2005_Notices_Index/index.asp.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John O'Connell, Paperwork Reduction 
Act Coordinator, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA, 300 12th 
Street, SW., Room 112, Washington, DC 20250-3700, (202) 720-0345.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Consumer Complaint Monitoring System; the Food Safety Mobile 
Questionnaire.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Abstract: FSIS has been delegated the authority to exercise the 
functions of the Secretary as specified in the Federal Meat Inspection 
Act (FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 601, et seq.), the Poultry Products Inspection 
Act (PPIA) (21 U.S.C. 451, et seq.), and the Egg Products Inspection 
Act (EPIA) (21 U.S.C. 1031, et seq.). These statutes mandate that FSIS 
protect the public by ensuring that meat, poultry, and egg products are 
safe, wholesome, unadulterated, and properly labeled and packaged.
    FSIS is requesting a new information collection addressing 
paperwork and recordkeeping requirements regarding the Agency's 
Consumer Complaint Monitoring System Web portal and regarding its 
electronic Food Safety Mobile questionnaire.
    FSIS tracks consumer complaints about meat, poultry, and egg 
products. Consumer complaints are usually filed because the food made 
the consumer sick, caused an allergic reaction, was not properly 
labeled (misbranded), or contained a foreign object. FSIS is developing 
a Web portal to allow consumers to electronically file a complaint with 
the Agency about a meat, poultry, or egg product. FSIS will use this 
information to look for trends that will enhance the Agency's food 
safety efforts.
    FSIS uses a Food Safety Mobile, vehicle that travels throughout the 
continental United States, to educate consumers about the risks 
associated with the mishandling of food and the steps they can take to 
reduce their risk of foodborne illness. Organizations can request a 
visit from the FSIS Food Safety Mobile. To facilitate the scheduling of 
the Food Safety Mobile's visits, the Agency is planning to put an 
electronic questionnaire on its Web site. The questionnaire will 
solicit information about the person/organization requesting the visit, 
the timing of the visit, and the type of event at which the Food Safety 
Mobile is to appear.
    FSIS has made the following estimates based upon an information 
collection assessment.
    Estimate of Burden: The public reporting burden for this collection 
of information is estimated to average .084 hours per response.
    Respondents: Consumers and organizations.

[[Page 21732]]

    Estimated Number of Respondents: 650.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 55 hours.
    Copies of this information collection assessment can be obtained 
from John O'Connell, Paperwork Reduction Act Coordinator, Food Safety 
and Inspection Service, USDA, 300 12th Street, SW., Room 112, 
Washington, DC 20250-3700, (202) 720-5627, (202) 720-0345.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of FSIS' functions, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of FSIS' estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and, (d) ways to minimize the burden of 
the collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques, or other forms of 
information technology. Comments may be sent to both John O'Connell, 
Paperwork Reduction Act Coordinator, at the address provided above, and 
the Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20253.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that the 
public and in particular minorities, women, and persons with 
disabilities, are aware of this notice, FSIS will announce it on-line 
through the FSIS web page located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2005_Notices_Index/index.asp.
    FSIS also will make copies of this Federal Register publication 
available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide 
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal 
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, recalls, and other types of 
information that could affect or would be of interest to our 
constituents and stakeholders. The update is communicated via Listserv, 
a free e-mail subscription service consisting of industry, trade, and 
farm groups, consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, 
scientific professionals, and other individuals who have requested to 
be included. The update also is available on the FSIS web page. Through 
Listserv and the web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a 
much broader, more diverse audience.
    In addition, FSIS offers an e-mail subscription service which 
provides an automatic and customized notification when popular pages 
are updated, including Federal Register publications and related 
documents. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_and_events/email_subscription/ and allows FSIS customers to sign up 
for subscription options across eight categories. Options range from 
recalls to export information to regulations, directives and notices. 
Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves and have the 
option to password protect their account.

    Done at Washington, DC, on April 22, 2005.
Barbara J. Masters,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 05-8405 Filed 4-26-05; 8:45 am]
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