[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 164 (Friday, August 25, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 40484-40485]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-18028]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

21 CFR Part 121

[Docket No. FDA-2013-N-1425]


Mitigation Strategies To Protect Food Against Intentional 
Adulteration: What You Need To Know About the Food and Drug 
Administration Regulation: Small Entity Compliance Guide; Availability

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notification of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency, or we) is 
announcing the availability of a guidance for industry entitled 
``Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional 
Adulteration: What You Need To Know About the FDA Regulation: Small 
Entity Compliance Guide.'' The small entity compliance guide (SECG) is 
intended to help small entities comply with the final rule entitled 
``Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional 
Adulteration.''

DATES: The announcement of the guidance is published in the Federal 
Register on August 25, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit either electronic or written comments on 
Agency guidances at any time comments as follows:

Electronic Submissions

    Submit electronic comments in the following way:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted 
electronically, including attachments, to https://www.regulations.gov 
will be posted to the docket unchanged. Because your comment will be 
made public, you are solely responsible for ensuring that your comment 
does not include any confidential information that you or a third party 
may not wish to be posted, such as medical information, your or anyone 
else's Social Security number, or confidential business information, 
such as a manufacturing process. Please note

[[Page 40485]]

that if you include your name, contact information, or other 
information that identifies you in the body of your comments, that 
information will be posted on https://www.regulations.gov.
     If you want to submit a comment with confidential 
information that you do not wish to be made available to the public, 
submit the comment as a written/paper submission and in the manner 
detailed (see ``Written/Paper Submissions'' and ``Instructions'').

Written/Paper Submissions

    Submit written/paper submissions as follows:
     Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for written/paper 
submissions): Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug 
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
     For written/paper comments submitted to the Dockets 
Management Staff, FDA will post your comment, as well as any 
attachments, except for information submitted, marked and identified, 
as confidential, if submitted as detailed in ``Instructions.''
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket No. 
FDA-2013-N-1425 for ``What You Need To Know About the FDA Regulation: 
Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional 
Adulteration--Small Entity Compliance Guide.'' Received comments will 
be placed in the docket and, except for those submitted as 
``Confidential Submissions,'' publicly viewable at https://www.regulations.gov or at the Dockets Management Staff office between 9 
a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
     Confidential Submissions--To submit a comment with 
confidential information that you do not wish to be made publicly 
available, submit your comments only as a written/paper submission. You 
should submit two copies total. One copy will include the information 
you claim to be confidential with a heading or cover note that states 
``THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.'' The Agency will 
review this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in 
its consideration of comments. The second copy, which will have the 
claimed confidential information redacted/blacked out, will be 
available for public viewing and posted on https://www.regulations.gov. 
Submit both copies to the Dockets Management Staff. If you do not wish 
your name and contact information to be made publicly available, you 
can provide this information on the cover sheet and not in the body of 
your comments and you must identify this information as 
``confidential.'' Any information marked as ``confidential'' will not 
be disclosed except in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 and other 
applicable disclosure law. For more information about FDA's posting of 
comments to public dockets, see 80 FR 56469, September 18, 2015, or 
access the information at: http://www.fda.gov/regulatoryinformation/dockets/default.htm.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov and insert the docket number, found in brackets in 
the heading of this document, into the ``Search'' box and follow the 
prompts and/or go to the Dockets Management Staff office, 5630 Fishers 
Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
    Submit written requests for single copies of the SECG to the Office 
of Analytics and Outreach, Center for Food Safety and Applied 
Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5001 Campus Dr., College Park, 
MD 20740. Send two self-addressed adhesive labels to assist that office 
in processing your request. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
for electronic access to the SECG.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ryan Newkirk, Center for Food Safety 
and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5001 Campus Dr., 
College Park, MD 20740, 240-402-3712.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    In the Federal Register of May 27, 2016 (81 FR 34166), we issued a 
final rule titled ``Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against 
Intentional Adulteration'' (the final rule) in which we require 
domestic and foreign food facilities that are required to register 
under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act) to 
address hazards that may be introduced with the intention to cause wide 
scale public health harm. The final rule, which is codified at part 121 
(21 CFR part 121), became effective July 26, 2016, but has compliance 
dates staggered starting 3 years after publication of the final rule.
    We examined the economic implications of the final rule as required 
by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612) and determined 
that the final rule will have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities. In compliance with section 212 of 
the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (Pub. L. 104-
121, as amended by Pub. L. 110-28), we are making available the SECG to 
reduce the burden of determining how to comply by further explaining 
and clarifying the actions that a small entity must take to comply with 
the rule.
    We are issuing the SECG consistent with our good guidance practices 
regulation (21 CFR 10.115(c)(2)). The SECG represents the current 
thinking of FDA on this topic. It does not establish any rights for any 
person and is not binding on FDA or the public. You can use an 
alternative approach if it satisfies the requirements of the applicable 
statutes and regulations. This is not a significant regulatory action 
subject to Executive Order 12866 and does not impose any additional 
burden on regulated entities.

II. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This guidance refers to previously approved collections of 
information found in FDA regulations. These collections of information 
are subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). The 
collections of information in part 121 have been approved under OMB 
control number 0910-0812.

III. Electronic Access

    Persons with access to the Internet may obtain the SECG at either 
https://www.fda.gov/FoodGuidances, or https://www.regulations.gov. Use 
the FDA Web site listed in the previous sentence to find the most 
current version of the guidance.

    Dated: August 21, 2017.
Anna K. Abram,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, Legislation, and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2017-18028 Filed 8-24-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P