[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 197 (Friday, October 13, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47750-47752]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22172]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2017-N-5991]


Agricultural Biotechnology Education and Outreach Initiative; 
Public Meetings; Request for Comments

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing the 
following public meetings entitled ``Agricultural Biotechnology 
Education and Outreach Initiative.'' The purpose of the public meetings 
is to provide the public with an opportunity to share information, 
experiences, and suggestions to help inform the development of this 
education and outreach initiative.

DATES: The public meetings will be held on November 7, 2017, in 
Charlotte, North Carolina, and on November 14, 2017, in San Francisco, 
California. Submit either electronic or written comments by November 
17, 2017. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for registration 
date and information.

ADDRESSES: The public meetings will be held at:
     The Omni Charlotte, 132 East Trade St., Charlotte, NC 
28202 on November 7, 2017, and
     The San Francisco Marriott Marquis, 780 Mission St., San 
Francisco, CA 94103 on November 14, 2017.
    You may submit comments as follows. Please note that late, untimely 
filed comments will not be considered. Electronic comments must be 
submitted on or before November 17, 2017. The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until 
midnight Eastern Time at the end of November 17, 2017. Comments 
received by mail/hand delivery/courier (for written/paper submissions) 
will be considered timely if they are postmarked or the delivery 
service acceptance receipt is on or before that date.

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

[[Page 47751]]

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 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-2017-N-5991 for ``Agricultural Biotechnology Education and Outreach 
Initiative; Public Meetings; Request for Comments.'' Received comments, 
those filed in a timely manner (see ADDRESSES), 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 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.'' We will review 
this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in our 
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: 
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-09-18/pdf/2015-23389.pdf.
    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, 5630 Fishers Lane, 
Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions regarding registration 
to attend a meeting: Simone Katz, Strategic Results, 101 Lakeforest 
Blvd., Suite 390, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, 240-449-8427, 
[email protected]. For all other questions: Juanita 
Yates, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug 
Administration, 5001 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20740, 240-402-1731, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Pub. L. 115-31) 
stipulates that the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, in coordination 
with the Secretary of Agriculture, will use appropriated funds to 
provide consumer outreach and education regarding agricultural 
biotechnology and biotechnology-derived food products and animal feed, 
including through publication and distribution of science-based 
educational information on the environmental, nutritional, food safety, 
economic, and humanitarian impacts of such biotechnology.
    FDA is responsible for promoting and protecting the public health, 
including by ensuring that the nation's food supply is safe and 
nutritious. FDA provides information and outreach to a variety of 
audiences along with extensive, hands-on food safety and nutrition 
education programs for educators, health professionals, and consumers. 
Educational materials are targeted to consumers in general, as well as 
to specific groups such as children/youth, older Americans, underserved 
populations, individuals with weakened immune systems (related to food 
safety), pregnant women, and other subpopulations.
    To further our public health mission, we develop food safety and 
nutrition outreach initiatives in conjunction with non-Federal 
organizations and individuals, including teachers, community leaders, 
health educators, animal owners, and private and public health 
professionals, to increase awareness of and provide education on food 
safety and nutrition.
    In developing and implementing the Agricultural Biotechnology 
Education and Outreach Initiative, FDA will coordinate with the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA). We also will collaborate with other 
U.S. Federal Government Agencies, and public and private organizations 
as needed. These interactions will help us to develop a comprehensive 
and thorough framework for consumer education and awareness of the 
environmental, nutritional, food safety, economic, and humanitarian 
impacts of agricultural biotechnology. We believe public comment will 
be helpful to inform the development of this education and outreach 
initiative.

II. Topics for Discussion at the Public Meetings

    FDA is holding two public meetings, one in North Carolina and one 
in California, to provide the public with an opportunity to provide 
comments related to FDA's Agricultural Biotechnology Education and 
Outreach Initiative. We invite the public to share information, 
experiences, and suggestions that can help inform the development of 
the education and outreach initiative. We invite interested persons, 
including those participating in the public meetings, to respond to the 
following questions specifically regarding agricultural biotechnology 
and biotechnology-derived food products and animal feed:
    1. What are the specific topics, questions, or other information 
that consumers would find most useful, and why?
    2. Currently, how and from where do consumers most often receive 
information on this subject?
    3. How can FDA (in coordination with USDA) best reach consumers 
with science-based educational information on this subject?
    The comments received will help FDA identify education goals, 
messaging, and dissemination strategies

[[Page 47752]]

for FDA's Agricultural Biotechnology Education and Outreach Initiative.

III. Participating in the Public Meeting

    Registration: To register for a public meeting, please include your 
name, title, firm name, address, and phone and fax numbers in your 
registration information and send to: Simone Katz, Strategic Results, 
101 Lakeforest Blvd., Suite 390, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, 240-449-8427, 
Fax: 240-641-9042, email: [email protected]. You can 
register for one or both meetings.
    Registration is free and based on space availability, with priority 
given to early registrants. Persons interested in attending this public 
meeting must register by October 30, 2017, for the Charlotte, NC, 
meeting and must register by November 6, 2017, for the San Francisco, 
CA, meeting. Early registration is recommended because seating is 
limited; therefore, FDA may limit the number of participants from each 
organization. Registrants will receive confirmation when they have been 
accepted.
    If you need special accommodations due to a disability, please 
contact Simone Katz, Strategic Results, 101 Lakeforest Blvd., Suite 
390, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, 240-449-8427, Fax: 240-641-9042, email: 
[email protected] no later than October 20, 2017, for 
the Charlotte, NC, meeting and no later than October 27, 2017, for the 
San Francisco, CA, meeting.
    Requests for Oral Presentations: During online registration you may 
indicate if you wish to present during a public comment session or 
participate in a specific session, and which topic(s) you wish to 
address. We will do our best to accommodate requests to make public 
comments. Individuals and organizations with common interests are urged 
to consolidate or coordinate their presentations, and request time for 
a joint presentation, or submit requests for designated representatives 
to participate in the focused sessions. Following the close of 
registration, we will determine the amount of time allotted to each 
presenter and the approximate time each oral presentation is to begin, 
and will select and notify participants by October 24, 2017, for the 
meeting in Charlotte, NC, and by November 1, 2017, for the meeting in 
San Francisco, CA. All requests to make oral presentations must be 
received by October 20, 2017, for the meeting in Charlotte, NC, and by 
October 27, 2017, for the meeting in San Francisco, CA.
    Streaming Webcast of the Public Meeting: Each public meeting will 
also be webcast. Individuals who wish to participate by webcast are 
asked to preregister at: https://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WorkshopsMeetingsConferences/default.htm
    If you have never attended a Connect Pro event before, test your 
connection at https://collaboration.fda.gov/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm. To get a quick overview of the Connect Pro program, 
visit https://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview. FDA has verified 
the Web site addresses in this document, as of the date this document 
publishes in the Federal Register, but Web sites are subject to change 
over time.
    Transcripts: Please be advised that as soon as a transcript of each 
public meeting is available, it will be accessible at https://www.regulations.gov. It may be viewed at the Dockets Management Staff 
(see ADDRESSES). A link to the transcript will also be available on the 
internet at https://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WorkshopsMeetingsConferences/default.htm.
    Other Issues for Consideration: A summary of key information on 
participating in a meeting follows:

                                                  Table 1--Information on Participation in the Meeting
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                                                                                               Request to make                         Submit either
             Date                    Address          Preregister       Electronic address         an oral            Special          electronic or
                                                                                                 presentation     accommodations      written comments
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November 7, 2017, from 8:30     Omni Charlotte     October 30, 2017:  Please preregister at   October 20, 2017.  October 20,       Submit Comments by
 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST.             Hotel, 132 E       Closing date for   https://www.fda.gov/                       2017: Closing     November 17, 2017,
                                 Trade St.,         registration.      Food/NewsEvents/                           date to request   to: https://
                                 Charlotte, NC                         WorkshopsMeetingsConf                      special           www.regulations.gov,
                                 28202.                                erences/default.htm.                       accommodations    or Dockets
                                                                                                                  due to a          Management Staff
                                                                                                                  disability.       (HFA-305), Food and
                                                                                                                                    Drug Administration,
                                                                                                                                    5630 Fishers Lane,
                                                                                                                                    Rm. 1061, Rockville,
                                                                                                                                    MD 20852.
November 14, 2017, from 8:30    San Francisco      November 6, 2017:  Please preregister at   October 27, 2017.  October 27,       Same as above.
 a.m. to 1 p.m. PST.             Marriott           Closing date for   https://www.fda.gov/                       2017: closing
                                 Marquis, 780       registration.      Food/NewsEvents/                           date to request
                                 Mission St., San                      WorkshopsMeetingsConf                      special
                                 Francisco, CA                         erences/default.htm.                       accommodations
                                 94103.                                                                           due to a
                                                                                                                  disability.
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    You may also register via email, mail, or fax. Please include your 
name, title, firm name, address, and phone and Fax numbers in your 
registration information and send to: Simone Katz, Strategic Results, 
101 Lakeforest Blvd., Suite 390, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, 240-449-8427, 
Fax: 240-641-9042, email: [email protected].
    Individuals who wish to participate by webcast are asked to 
preregister at: https://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WorkshopsMeetingsConferences/default.htm.

    Dated: October 6, 2017.
Anna K. Abram,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, Legislation, and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2017-22172 Filed 10-12-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P