[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 44 (Monday, March 8, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10460-10462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4781]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS 2010-0008]


Improving Tracing Procedures for E. coli O157:H7 Positive Raw 
Beef Product

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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[[Page 10461]]

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing 
that it will hold a public meeting on March 10, 2010 to discuss Agency 
procedures for identifying suppliers of source material used to produce 
raw beef product that FSIS has found positive for Escherichia coli (E. 
coli) O157:H7. FSIS will also discuss additional verification 
activities the Agency will conduct at suppliers in response to positive 
E. coli O157:H7 results. In addition, FSIS will seek input from meeting 
participants on ways to improve Agency procedures for identifying 
product that may be positive for E. coli O157:H7.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on March 10, 2010, from 8:30 
a.m. to 1 p.m. Submit comments on or before May 7, 2010.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the USDA South Building 
Jefferson Auditorium, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20250. All participants should enter the USDA South Building at Wing 5 
on Independence Avenue. There will security personnel at the entrance 
to check identification.
    Registration: Pre-registration is recommended. To pre-register, 
visit the FSIS Web site at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/. You can click on register and then complete the registration 
form including all required fields.
    Comments and Agenda: In addition to providing oral comments at the 
public meeting, FSIS invites interested persons to submit written 
comments on the issues addressed at the public meeting. FSIS will 
finalize an agenda on or before the meeting date and will post it on 
the FSIS Web page http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/. 
The official transcript of the meeting will be available for viewing by 
the public in the FSIS Docket Room and on the FSIS Web site http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/ when it becomes available.
    Comments may be submitted by either of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: This Web site provides the ability to 
type short comments directly into the comment field on this Web page or 
attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions at that site for submitting comments.
    Mail, including floppy disks or CD-ROMs, and hand- or courier-
delivered items: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(USDA), FSIS, Room 2-2127, George Washington Carver Center, 5601 
Sunnyside Avenue, Mailstop 5474, Beltsville, MD 20705-5474.
    Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must 
include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2010-0008. Comments 
received in response to this docket will be made available for public 
inspection and posted without change, including any personal 
information to http://www.regulations.gov.
    Docket: For access to background documents or to comments received, 
go to the FSIS Docket Room at the address listed above between 8:30 
a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. All comments submitted in 
response to this proposal, as well as 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For logistical questions related to 
the meeting: Ms. Sheila Johnson, Congressional and Public Affairs, 1400 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250, 202-690-6498, e-mail: 
[email protected].
    For technical information related to the meeting: Dr. Daniel 
Engeljohn, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Policy and Program 
Development, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700, 
(202) 205-0495.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FSIS is evaluating the effectiveness of its 
policies and procedures in responding to findings that raw beef is 
positive for E. coli O157:H7, and whether the Agency takes the 
appropriate steps to identify source materials used to produce the 
product and to identify other products derived from those source 
materials. One conclusion reached by FSIS thus far is that the Agency 
must improve its procedures for assessing the conditions at suppliers 
that may have resulted in the positive product.
    FSIS has also concluded that it should conduct additional 
verification activities at suppliers that produced source materials for 
raw beef product that FSIS has found positive for E. coli O157:H7. 
Therefore, FSIS intends to issue new instructions to Enforcement, 
Investigations, and Analysis Officers (EIAOs) to conduct additional 
verification activities at suppliers in response to positive E. coli 
O157:H7 results. These instructions are intended to assist EIAOs is 
assessing conditions at the suppliers, including whether source 
materials used to produce the positive raw beef product may have been 
produced during high event periods. High event periods are production 
periods during which an establishment's sampling and testing program 
detects a series of positive test results that indicates a systemic 
failure or breakdown of process controls. If FSIS personnel determine 
that the subject source materials were produced during high event 
periods, the Agency may determine that additional product is implicated 
by the positive result. FSIS will issue these new instructions after 
the public meeting.
    At the meeting FSIS will discuss the Agency's E. coli O157:H7 test 
data, its current policies for responding to E. coli O157:H7 positives, 
the Agency's current thinking for improving those policies, and 
information regarding next steps. An opportunity for participants to 
comment will be provided as well.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that 
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_&_Policies/2010_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, and other 
types of information that could affect or would be of interest to 
constituents and stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, 
a free electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups, 
consumer interest groups, health professionals and other individuals 
who have asked to be included. The Update is also available on the FSIS 
Web page. Through the Listserv and the Web page, FSIS is able to 
provide information to a much broader and more diverse audience. In 
addition, FSIS offers an e-mail subscription service which provides 
automatic and customized access to selected food safety news and 
information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/email_subscription/. 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 accounts.


[[Page 10462]]


    Done at Washington, DC on: March 2, 2010.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2010-4781 Filed 3-5-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P