[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 162 (Thursday, August 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49515-49516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19879]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Announcement of the Fifth 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory 
Committee Meeting

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health; and U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services and 
Research, Education, and Economics.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: As stipulated by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in 
collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is hereby 
giving notice that a meeting of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory 
Committee (DGAC) will be held and will be open to the public.

DATES: This meeting will be held on September 16, 2014, from 10:30 
a.m.-5:15 p.m. E.D.T. and September 17, 2014 from 8:00 a.m.-3:45 p.m. 
E.D.T.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be accessible by webcast on the Internet.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Designated Federal Officer (DFO), 2015 
DGAC, Richard D. Olson, M.D., M.P.H.; Office of Disease Prevention and 
Health Promotion, OASH/HHS; 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite LL100 Tower 
Building; Rockville, MD 20852: Telephone: (240) 453-8280; Fax: (240) 
453-8281; Alternate DFO, 2015 DGAC, Kellie (O'Connell) Casavale, Ph.D., 
R.D., Nutrition Advisor; Office of Disease Prevention and Health 
Promotion, OASH/HHS; 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite LL100 Tower Building; 
Rockville, MD 20852: Telephone: (240) 453-8280; Fax: (240) 453-8281; 
Lead USDA Co-Executive Secretary, Colette I. Rihane, M.S., R.D., 
Director, Office of Nutrition Guidance and Analysis, Center for 
Nutrition Policy and Promotion, USDA; 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 
1034; Alexandria, VA 22302; Telephone: (703) 305-7600; Fax: (703) 305-
3300; and/or USDA Co-Executive Secretary, Shanthy A. Bowman, Ph.D., 
Nutritionist, Food Surveys Research Group, Beltsville Human Nutrition 
Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA; 10300 Baltimore 
Avenue, BARC-West Bldg 005, Room 125; Beltsville, MD 20705-2350; 
Telephone: (301) 504-0619. Additional information about the 2015 DGAC 
and this meeting is available on the Internet at 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under Section 301 of Public Law 101-445 (7 
U.S.C. 5341, the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act 
of 1990, Title III) the Secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
and Agriculture (USDA) are directed to issue at least every five years 
a report titled Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The law instructs 
that this publication shall contain nutritional and dietary information 
and guidelines for the general public, shall be based on the 
preponderance of scientific and medical knowledge current at the time 
of publication, and shall be promoted by each federal agency in 
carrying out any federal food, nutrition, or health program. The 
Dietary Guidelines for Americans was issued voluntarily by HHS and USDA 
in 1980, 1985, and 1990; the 1995 edition was the first statutorily 
mandated report, followed by subsequent editions at appropriate 
intervals. To assist with satisfying the mandate, a discretionary 
federal advisory committee is established every five years to provide 
independent, science-based advice and recommendations. The DGAC 
consists of a panel of experts who were selected from the public/
private sector. Individuals who were selected to serve on the Committee 
have current scientific knowledge in the field of human nutrition and 
chronic disease.
    Appointed Committee Members: Fourteen members currently serve on 
the 2015 DGAC. They were appointed by the Secretaries of HHS and USDA 
in May 2013. Information on the DGAC membership is available at 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov.

    Authority: The 2015 DGAC is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 217a, 
Section 222 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.

    Committee's Task: The work of the DGAC is solely advisory in nature 
and time-limited. The Committee is tasked with developing 
recommendations based on the preponderance of current scientific and 
medical knowledge using a systematic review approach. The DGAC will 
examine the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, take into 
consideration new scientific evidence and current resource documents, 
and develop a report that is to be given to the Secretaries of HHS and 
USDA. The report will outline science-based recommendations and 
rationales which will serve as the basis for developing the eighth 
edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It is planned for the 
Committee to hold approximately six public meetings to review and 
discuss recommendations. This will be the fifth meeting of the 2015 
DGAC. Meeting dates, times, locations, and other relevant information 
are announced at least 15 days in advance of each meeting via Federal 
Register notice. As stipulated in the charter, the Committee will be 
terminated after delivery of its final report to the Secretaries of HHS 
and USDA or two years from the date the charter was filed, whichever 
comes first.
    Purpose of the Meeting: In accordance with FACA and to promote 
transparency of the process, deliberations of the Committee will occur 
in a public forum. At this meeting, the Committee will continue its 
deliberations.

[[Page 49516]]

    Meeting Agenda: The meeting agenda will include (a) review of 
Committee work since the last public meeting and (b) plans for future 
Committee work.
    Meeting Registration: The meeting will be publicly accessible by 
webcast on the Internet; registration is required and is expected to 
open on August 19, 2014. To register, please go to 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov and click on the link for ``Meeting 
Registration.'' To register by phone, please call National Capitol 
Contracting, Andrea Popp at (703) 243-9696 by 5:00 p.m. E.D.T., 
September 10, 2014. Registration must include name, affiliation, and 
phone number or email address. After registering, individuals will 
receive webcast access information via email.
    Written Public Comments: Written comments from the public will 
continue to be accepted throughout the Committee's deliberative 
process. Written public comments can be submitted and/or viewed at 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov using the ``Submit Comments'' and ``Read 
Comments'' links, respectively. Those commenting are asked to provide 
comments as early as possible in the Committee's process to increase 
the opportunity for meaningful impact. There is no deadline for comment 
submission prior to each public meeting. The Committee requests that 
commenters provide a brief (250 words) summary of the points or issues 
in the comment text box. If commenters are providing literature or 
other resources, complete citations or abstracts and electronic links 
to full articles or reports are preferred instead of attaching these 
documents to the comment. As the Committee continues its work, it may 
request additional public comments on specific topics; these requests 
and any instructions for submitting them are posted on the Web site.
    Meeting Documents: Documents pertaining to Committee deliberations, 
including meeting agendas, summaries, and webcasts will be available on 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov under ``Meetings.'' Meeting information will 
continue to be accessible online, at the NIH Library, and upon request 
at the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, OASH/HHS; 
1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite LL100 Tower Building; Rockville, MD 20852: 
Telephone (240) 453-8280; Fax: (240) 453-8281.

    Dated: August 4, 2014.
Don Wright,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Disease Prevention and 
Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services.
    Dated: August 5, 2014.
Angela Tagtow,
Executive Director, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture.
    Dated: August 7, 2014.
Chavonda Jacobs-Young,
Administrator, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2014-19879 Filed 8-20-14; 8:45 am]
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