[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 224 (Tuesday, November 20, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58525-58527]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25265]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2018-0040]


Notice of Request for a New Information Collection: Stakeholder 
Input on Federal Outreach To Control Listeria Monocytogenes at Retail

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and 
Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to collect 
information from stakeholders from industry, State and public health 
and agriculture departments with responsibilities for retail food 
safety, local health departments, and grocers to gather information on 
FSIS outreach efforts related to retail best practices to control 
Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in retail delicatessens. The purpose of 
this information collection is to enhance Federal outreach and 
interagency coordination to control Lm at retail.

DATES: Submit comments on or before January 22, 2019.

ADDRESSES: FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments on this 
Federal Register notice. Comments may be submitted by one of the 
following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: This website provides the 
ability to type short comments directly into the comment field on this 
web page or to attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for 
submitting comments.
     Mail, including CD-ROMs, etc.: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Room 6065, Washington, DC 20250-
3700.
     Hand- or courier-delivered submittals: Deliver to 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
    Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must 
include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2018-0040. Comments 
received in response to this docket will be made available for public 
inspection and posted without change, including any personal 
information, to http://www.regulations.gov.
    Docket: For access to background documents or comments received, 
call (202) 720-5627 to schedule a time to visit the FSIS Docket Room at 
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, Washington, DC 20250-3700.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    Gina Kouba, Office of Policy and Program Development, Food Safety 
and Inspection Service, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, 
South Building, Washington, DC 20250-3700; (202) 720-5627.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Stakeholder Input on Federal Outreach to Control Listeria 
Monocytogenes at Retail.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Abstract: FSIS has been delegated the authority to exercise the 
functions of the Secretary (7 CFR 2.18, 2.53) as specified in the 
Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 601, et seq.), the 
Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) (21 U.S.C. 451, et seq.) and the 
Egg Products Inspection Act (EPIA) (21 U.S.C. 1031, et seq.). These 
statutes mandate that FSIS protect the public by verifying that meat, 
poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, unadulterated, and 
properly labeled and packaged.
    In 2016, the National Advisory Committee for Meat and Poultry 
Inspection (NACMPI) made

[[Page 58526]]

recommendations to FSIS on best practices for the control of Listeria 
monocytogenes (Lm) in retail delicatessens. Several of the committee's 
key recommendations focused on messaging and outreach. Specifically, 
the Committee recommended that FSIS's Lm related guidance and messaging 
for retail be clear, understandable, practical, and available to all 
audiences. The committee asked that FSIS get input from stakeholders 
regarding their information needs, how they currently get or would 
prefer to get information, and to provide input on FSIS's current 
outreach materials (e.g., brochure--``Guidance for Controlling Listeria 
monocytogenes (Lm) in Retail Delicatessens'', Lm Deli Self-Assessment 
Tool, etc.). This stakeholder input will be used to guide FSIS's 
outreach efforts to retail delicatessens.
    In response to the NACMPI recommendations, FSIS, in collaboration 
with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC), will conduct focus groups with a sample 
of stakeholders from industry, state and local public health and 
agriculture departments, and retail delicatessens to gather feedback. 
In the focus groups, a sample of stakeholders will be invited to 
provide input on the awareness and usefulness of existing outreach 
materials and tools related to best practices for controlling Lm in 
delicatessens, how they currently receive this type of information 
(e.g., from FSIS, FDA, CDC, State Health department, Cooperative 
Extension), and how those channels of communication could be improved. 
FSIS's Office of Planning, Analysis, and Risk Management will analyze 
and summarize the data, and provide it to the interagency team (FSIS, 
FDA, and CDC) for further consideration to enhance Federal outreach and 
interagency coordination to control Lm at retail. This feedback will 
help FSIS, FDA and CDC better understand the information needs of State 
public health and agriculture departments with retail food safety 
responsibilities, local health departments, and retail delicatessens, 
how these stakeholders currently get information used to guide retail 
food safety efforts, and provide feedback on the usefulness and 
practicality of current FSIS outreach (e.g., tools and communication) 
to support control of Lm in retail delicatessens. The feedback 
collected from participants may also include practical recommendations 
for improving Federal communications and outreach efforts to support 
the control of Lm at retail moving forward.
    The focus group participants will be selected from State and local 
health or agriculture departments with responsibilities for food safety 
in retail delicatessens, supermarket chains, independent grocers with 
retail delis, and the Cooperative Research and Extension Services. 
Within those groups, FSIS seeks to include participants representative 
of specific selection criteria, which was determined based on input 
from several national associations representing State public health and 
agriculture departments, local health departments, and grocers. The 
selection criteria include (but are not limited to) geographic 
diversity (and within that, urban and rural location), whether retail 
food safety falls under a State health or agricultural departments, 
whether the retail deli in a grocery store of a national versus 
regional supermarket chain or an independent grocery store, and whether 
English is a second language. These criteria were developed based on 
input from several associations, including: Association for Food and 
Drug Officials (AFDO), Association of State and Territorial Health 
Officials (ASTHO), Association for Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), 
Federal Marketing Institute (FMI), National Grocers Association (NGA), 
National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), National Association 
of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), and National Association 
of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA).
    Estimate of Burden:

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                                                                     Number of     Participation
                           Respondents                              respondents    time (hours)   Burden (hours)
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Stakeholders--Industry/Large Retailers..........................              80            1.75             140
Stakeholders--Independent/Small Retailers and Deli Owners.......              80            1.75             140
Stakeholders--State/Local Organizations.........................              80            1.75             140
    Totals......................................................             240            1.75             420
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    Respondents: Stakeholders.
    Estimated No. of Respondents: 240.
    Estimated No. of Annual Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Burden on Respondents: 420 hours.
    Copies of this information collection assessment can be obtained 
from Gina Kouba, Office of Policy and Program Development, Food Safety 
and Inspection Service, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, 
South Building, Washington, DC 20250-3700; (202) 720-5627.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of FSIS's 
functions, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of FSIS's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
method and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information, including through 
the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other 
technological collection techniques, or other forms of information 
technology. Comments may be sent to both FSIS, at the addresses 
provided above, and the Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
Washington, DC 20253.
    Responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, FSIS will announce this Federal 
Register publication on-line through the FSIS web page located at: 
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
    FSIS also will make copies of this 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 our constituents and 
stakeholders. The Constituent Update is available on the FSIS web page. 
Through the web page, FSIS isable to provide information to a much 
broader, more diverse

[[Page 58527]]

audience. In addition, FSIS offers an email 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/subscribe. Options range from recalls to export 
information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or 
delete subscriptions themselves and have the option to password protect 
their accounts.

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

    No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds 
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual 
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, 
income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs, 
exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to 
discrimination any person in the United States under any program or 
activity conducted by the USDA.

How to File a Complaint of Discrimination

    To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program 
Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you or your 
authorized representative.
    Send your completed complaint form or letter to USDA by mail, fax, 
or email: Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of 
Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, 
Fax: (202) 690-7442, Email: [email protected].
    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should contact 
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

Paul Kiecker,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2018-25265 Filed 11-19-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P