[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 93 (Tuesday, May 14, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28183-28184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-11391]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2013-0020]


National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice is announcing that the National Advisory Committee 
on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will hold public 
meetings of the full Committee and subcommittees on June 4-6, 2013. The 
Committee will discuss: (1) Control strategies for reducing foodborne 
Norovirus infections, (2) Study of microbiological criteria as 
indicators of process control or insanitary conditions, and (3) 
Application of NACMCF recommendations to the Agricultural Marketing 
Service, Federal Ground Beef Purchase Program.

DATES: The full Committee will hold an open meeting on Tuesday, June 4, 
2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The Subcommittee on Control 
Strategies for Reducing Foodborne Norovirus Infections and the 
Subcommittee on Study of Microbiological Criteria as Indicators of 
Process Control or Insanitary Conditions will hold concurrent open 
meetings on Tuesday, June 4, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday, June 5, and 
Thursday, June 6, 2013 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The June 4-6, 2013, full Committee and subcommittee meetings 
will be held at the Patriots Plaza 3, 1st Floor Auditorium and 
Conference Rooms, respectively, 355 E. Street SW., Washington, DC 
20024. All documents related to the full Committee meeting will be 
available for public inspection in the FSIS Docket Room, USDA, 355 E. 
Street SW., Patriots Plaza 3, Room 8-164, Washington, DC 20250-3700, 
between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, as soon as they 
become available. The NACMCF documents will also be available on the 
Internet at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/Federal_Register_Notices/index.asp.
    FSIS will finalize an agenda on or before the meeting dates and 
post it on the FSIS Web page at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/. Please note that the meeting agenda is subject to 
change due to the time required for Committee discussions; thus, 
sessions could start or end earlier or later than anticipated. Please 
plan accordingly if you would like to attend a particular session or 
participate in a public comment period.
    Also, the official transcript of the June 4, 2013, full Committee 
meeting, when it becomes available, will be kept in the FSIS Docket 
Room at the above address and will also be posted on http://www.fsis.usda.gov/About/NACMCF_Meetings/.
    The mailing address for the contact person is: Karen Thomas-Sharp, 
USDA, FSIS, Office of Public Health Science, 1400 Independence Avenue 
SW., Patriots Plaza 3, Mailstop 3777, Room 9-47, Washington, DC 20250.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Persons interested in making a 
presentation, submitting technical papers, or providing comments at the 
June 4, plenary session should contact Karen Thomas: Phone: (202) 690-
6620; Fax (202) 690-6334; Email: [email protected] or at 
the mailing address above. Persons requiring a sign language 
interpreter or other special accommodations should notify Ms. Thomas by 
May 28, 2013.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The NACMCF was established in 1988, in response to a recommendation 
of the National Academy of Sciences for an interagency approach to 
microbiological criteria for foods, and in response to a recommendation 
of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, as 
expressed in the Rural Development, Agriculture, and Related Agencies 
Appropriation Bill for fiscal year 1988. The charter for the NACMCF is 
available for viewing on the FSIS Internet Web page at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/About/NACMCF_Charter/.
    The NACMCF provides scientific advice and recommendations to the 
Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
on public health issues relative to the safety and wholesomeness of the 
U.S. food supply, including development of microbiological criteria and 
review and evaluation of epidemiological and risk assessment data and 
methodologies for assessing microbiological hazards in foods. The 
Committee also provides scientific advice and recommendations to the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Departments of 
Commerce and Defense.
    Dr. Elisabeth A. Hagen, Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA, is 
the Committee Chair; Mr. Michael Landa, Director of the Food and Drug 
Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), 
is the Vice-Chair; and Ms. Gerri Ransom, FSIS, is the Executive 
Secretary.
    At the subcommittee meetings the week of June 4-6, 2013, the groups 
will discuss:
     Control strategies for reducing foodborne Norovirus 
infections, and
     Study of microbiological criteria as indicators of process 
control or insanitary conditions.

Documents Reviewed by NACMCF

    FSIS intends to make available to the public all materials that are 
reviewed and considered by the full committee of NACMCF regarding its 
deliberations. Generally, these materials will be made available as 
soon as possible after the full Committee meeting. Further, FSIS 
intends to make these materials available in electronic format on the 
FSIS Web page (www.fsis.usda.gov), as well as in hard copy format in 
the FSIS Docket Room. Often, an attempt is made to make the materials 
available at the start of the full Committee meeting when sufficient 
time is allowed in advance to do so.
    Disclaimer: NACMCF documents and comments posted on the FSIS Web 
site

[[Page 28184]]

are electronic conversions from a variety of source formats. In some 
cases, document conversion may result in character translation or 
formatting errors. The original document is the official, legal copy.
    In order to meet the electronic and information technology 
accessibility standards in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, 
NACMCF may add alternate text descriptors for non-text elements 
(graphs, charts, tables, multimedia, etc.). These modifications only 
affect the online copies of the documents.
    Copyrighted documents will not be posted on the FSIS Web site, but 
will be available for inspection in the FSIS Docket Room.

Additional Public Notification

    FSIS will announce this notice online through the FSIS Web page 
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Federal_
Register_Notices/index.asp.
    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 
Web page. 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_&_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.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (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, audiotape, 
etc.) 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.

    Done at Washington, DC, on: May 8, 2013.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2013-11391 Filed 5-13-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P