[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 125 (Wednesday, June 30, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37752-37753]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-15813]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2010-0019]


Measuring Progress on Food Safety: Current Status and Future 
Directions; Public Meeting

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice is announcing that the Food Safety and Inspection 
Service (FSIS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are jointly hosting two 
public meetings to obtain stakeholder input. The first is on July 21, 
2010, in Chicago, IL. The second will be held on October 20, 2010, in 
Portland, OR. The Agencies are requesting information from all 
stakeholders, including the regulated food industry, State regulators, 
and consumer groups, on appropriate metrics to be used to assess 
performance in food safety. The Agencies are also interested in input 
on stakeholders' understanding and perceptions of metrics currently 
being used by the Federal Agencies. Although the Agencies are primarily 
interested in obtaining stakeholder input, the Agencies will present a 
limited amount of background on the Food Safety Working Group's charge 
to create meaningful metrics to measure the effectiveness of the 
Nation's food safety system and the Agency's current thinking on these 
issues.

DATES: The public meetings will be held on Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 9 
a.m. to 5 p.m. in Chicago, IL, and on October 20, 2010, 9 a.m. to 5 
p.m. in Portland, OR.
    Any changes to public meeting dates, times, location, and agenda 
will be posted on the FSIS Web site and announced in the Agency's 
Constituent Update.
    For Registration Information Contact: Jodee Warner, EDJ Associates, 
Inc., 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 1001, Rockville, MD 20852, telephone: 
(240) 221-4296, Fax: (301) 945-4295, e-mail: [email protected].
    For general questions about the public meeting, request to make an 
oral presentation and submission of a presentation, and for special 
accommodations due to a disability, contact: Juanita Yates, Center for 
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, (301) 436-1731, e-mail: 
[email protected].
    Due to limited space, we encourage all persons who wish to attend 
the public meeting, including those requesting an opportunity to make 
an oral presentation at the public meeting, to register in advance.
    We encourage attendees to register electronically at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/2010_Notices_Index/index.asp. You may also register by fax, e-mail or telephone by 
providing information, including: Name, organization, address, 
telephone number and e-mail address to the Registration Contact (see 
For Registration Information Contact).

First Public Meeting

    July 21, 2010, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 East 
Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601.
    Please note the following important deadlines:

July 6, 2010: Request To Make Oral Presentation.
July 13, 2010: Advance Registration.
July 13, 2010: Request Special Accommodations Due to Disability.

Second Public Meeting

    October 20, 2010, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., The Crowne Plaza Portland 
Downtown, 1441 NE Second Avenue, Portland, OR 97232.
    Please note the following important deadlines:

September 24, 2010: Request To Make Oral Presentation.
October 8, 2010: Advance Registration.
October 8, 2010: Request Special Accommodation Due to Disability.

    All documents related to the public meeting will be available for 
public inspection in the FSIS Docket Room, USDA, FSIS, Room 2-2127, 
George Washington Carver Center, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mailstop 5474, 
Beltsville, MD 20705-5474 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, as soon as they become available.
    FDA: Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug 
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: All stakeholders in the U.S. food safety 
system are pursuing major new efforts to reduce foodborne illness that 
include science-based preventive controls in food production and 
processing. As recommended by President Obama's Food Safety Working 
Group, one element of the Federal Government's food safety initiatives 
includes regularly assessing performance metrics for measuring progress 
in reducing foodborne illness. FSIS, FDA, and CDC are collaborating to 
address the methodological and data challenges involved in the 
development of feasible and effective food safety performance metrics.
    An initial 1-day public meeting on measuring progress on food 
safety was held on March 30, 2010, in Washington, DC (75 FR 9232). The 
public meetings announced in this notice are extensions of that initial 
public workshop. A transcript of the initial public workshop held on 
March 30, 2010, is accessible at http://www.regulations.gov. It may be 
viewed at the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug 
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

I. Background

    At our March 30, 2010, workshop, FDA, FSIS, and CDC presented their 
current thinking on performance metrics. The Agencies presented 
information on various epidemiological and non-epidemiological measures 
for food safety. Workshop participants recommended that the Agencies 
provide an opportunity for stakeholders to provide more detail on their 
views regarding metrics and on current methods being used. Accordingly, 
the Agencies will hold two regional public meetings specifically to 
allow stakeholders to make presentations on metrics for food safety. 
The Agencies will also provide updated information about their use of 
metrics to measure food safety.
    The Agencies are interested in gathering information on metrics 
from members of industry, consumer groups,

[[Page 37753]]

and State and local regulators, and other stakeholders. With respect to 
such information, the Agencies anticipate that presenters will be able 
to address issues such as whether industry members have metrics in 
place to assess whether suppliers meet purchase specifications that 
address food safety. If so, what data are used? Similarly, does the 
industry have metrics in place to assess the safety of the finished 
products they produce? If so, what data are used? Does the industry 
employ metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of their food safety 
systems? If so, what data are used? Has industry found some metrics 
that have been particularly effective in evaluating food safety? Are 
there other metrics that industry has found to be inadequate for 
measuring food safety? Also, what metrics do consumer groups use to 
measure food safety? What metrics would they like to use? What are the 
barriers to using these metrics? Have these groups found some to be 
effective and others to be inadequate? Do State or local regulators use 
metrics to measure the effectiveness of their programs for achieving 
food safety?
    To provide some insight into the current thinking of the Agencies, 
the Federal Agencies will share information at the Chicago, IL, public 
meetings about the shared list of metrics that was developed by the 
three Federal Agencies to support the work of the White House Food 
Safety Working Group. The Agencies will present an example of how these 
metrics might be applied. The example will focus on applying these 
metrics to progress on Salmonella Enteritidis as FDA implements the egg 
rule, FSIS implements broiler chicken controls, and CDC collects and 
analyzes human disease data.
    The Agencies will finalize an agenda on or before the public 
meeting date and post it on the FSIS Web page at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations/2010_Notices_Index/index.asp.

II. Transcripts

    When it becomes available, the official transcript of the public 
meeting will be kept in the FSIS Docket Room at the above address and 
will also be posted on the Agency Web site, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations/2010_Notices_Index/index.asp.
    All interested parties are welcome to attend the public meetings.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

    USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on 
the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, 
disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or 
family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication of program information (Braille, large print, or 
audiotape.) should contact USDA's Target Center at 202-720-2600 (voice 
and TTY).
    To file a written complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office 
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TTY). 
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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 online through the FSIS Webpage located 
at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2010_Notices_Index/.
    FSIS will also 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 
Webpage. Through Listserv and the webpage, FSIS is able to provide 
information to a much broader and more diverse audience. In addition, 
FSIS offers an electronic 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_and_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.

    Done at Washington, DC, on: June 24, 2010.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2010-15813 Filed 6-29-10; 8:45 am]
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