[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 163 (Friday, August 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51674-51675]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18389]


 ========================================================================
 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
 appearing in this section.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 163 / Friday, August 21, 2020 / 
Notices  

[[Page 51674]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2020-0027]


National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notification of public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of the rules and regulations of the 
Department of Agriculture and the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA), the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing a 
virtual meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry 
Inspection (NACMPI). The committee is authorized under the Federal Meat 
Inspection Act and Poultry Products Inspection Act and operates in 
compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The committee will 
convene virtually on September 24-25, 2020. The objective of the public 
meeting is for the Committee to review and advise about the steps FSIS 
should take to ensure better control of artisanal, shelf-stable ready-
to-eat (RTE) fermented, salt-cured, or dried products that rely on 
multiple hurdles for lethality. NACMPI will also review and advise 
whether the Agency should continue not to test boxed beef primal and 
sub-primal products for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), if they 
are intended for intact cuts.

DATES: The virtual public meeting is scheduled for September 24-25, 
2020. NACMPI will meet from 8 a.m.-9:30 a.m. EST on September 24, 2020 
for administrative purposes. This portion of the meeting is not open to 
the public. The public meeting is from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. EST on 
September 24, 2020 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. EST on September 25, 2020.

ADDRESSES: The meeting is virtual and will be viewed via the web-ex 
link provided by email when you register for the meeting. Attendees 
should pre-register for the meeting. See the pre-registration 
instructions under ``Registration and Meeting Materials.''
    Public Comments: 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 commenters the 
ability to type short comments directly into the comment field on the 
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.
    Email: Written public comments may be emailed to [email protected]. 
All written comments are to arrive by September 18, 2020. All items 
submitted by electronic mail must include the Agency name and docket 
number FSIS-2020-0027. 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Val Green, Designated Federal Officer, 
Office of Policy and Program Development, FSIS; Telephone: (301) 504-
0846; Email: [email protected], regarding specific questions about 
the committee or this meeting. General information about the committee 
can also be found at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/advisory-committees/nacmpi.
    For the hearing impaired, contact the Federal Information Relay 
Service: https://www.federalrelay.us/ or 800-877-0996 (Voice, TTY, 
ASCII or Spanish).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The NACMPI was established in 1971 and is authorized under section 
301(a)(4) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 
661(a)(4)) to carry out the responsibilities imposed by sections 7(c), 
24, 205, 301(a)(3), and 301(c) of the FMIA (21 U.S.C. 607(c), 624, 645, 
661(a)(3), and 661(c)), and authorized under section 5(s)(4) of the 
Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) (21 U.S.C. 454(a)(4) to carry 
out the responsibilities imposed by sections 5(a)(3), 5(c), 8(b), and 
11(e) of the PPIA (21 U.S.C. 454(a)(3), 454(c), 457(b), and 460(e)). 
The purpose of the Committee is to provide advice to the Secretary 
concerning meat, poultry, and processed egg products inspection; food 
safety; and other matters that fall within the scope of the FMIA, PPIA 
and the Egg Products Inspection Act (EPIA). The current charter and 
other information about NACMPI can be found at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/advisory-committees/nacmpi. Membership of NACMPI is drawn from representatives 
of consumer groups; producers; processors; and representatives from the 
meat, poultry and egg product industries; State and local government 
officials; and academia.
    On September 24-25, 2020, NACMPI will review and discuss the 
following two topics. First, FSIS will ask NACMPI to review and advise 
about the steps FSIS should take to better support the production of 
artisanal, shelf-stable, ready-to-eat (RTE) fermented, salt-cured, or 
dried products that rely on multiple hurdles for lethality. FSIS is 
seeking input on the lack of scientific support and control of hazards 
for producing these multi-hurdle lethality products that may raise 
enforcement questions. FSIS will ask the Committee to consider the 
following: (1) What actions should FSIS take when it determines an 
establishment lacks scientific support for the lethality treatment of a 
fermented, salt-cured, or dried product? (2) How can FSIS assist 
industry in gathering scientific support and facilitate filling 
research gaps, even though it is not a research-funding organization?
    Second, FSIS will ask NACMPI to review and advise whether FSIS 
should continue not to sample or test boxed beef primal and sub-primal 
products for STEC, if they are intended for intact cuts. FSIS is 
seeking input on how FSIS can reduce STEC positives, outbreaks, 
recalls, and deaths that occur when downstream processors are commonly 
unaware of the producer's intended intact use or the risks of grinding 
such products. FSIS will ask the Committee: (1) If an establishment 
identifies boxed beef primals/sub-primal products as intended for 
intact cuts, should FSIS continue not to sample or test these

[[Page 51675]]

products? (2) If yes, how can the current system be strengthened? (3) 
If no, what criteria should FSIS use to determine which products should 
be subject to sampling and testing for STEC?
    The two issues described above will be presented to the full 
Committee. The Committee will then divide into two subcommittees to 
discuss the issues. Each subcommittee will provide a report of their 
comments and recommendations to the full Committee before the meeting 
concludes on Friday, September 25, 2020.
    An agenda will be published online before the public meeting. FSIS 
will finalize the agenda on or before the meeting dates and post it on 
the FSIS website at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/meetings.

Registration and Meeting Materials

    There is no fee to register for the public meeting, but pre-
registration is mandatory for participants attending. All attendees 
must register online at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/meetings.

Public Comments and Participation in Meetings

Oral Comments

    Stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide oral comments 
during the public meeting. Stakeholders must notify FSIS during 
registration of their wish to speak at the meeting. Stakeholders who do 
not notify FSIS during registration of their wish to speak will not 
have the opportunity to comment on the day of the public meeting. Due 
to the anticipated high level of interest in the opportunity to make 
public comments and the limited time available to do so, FSIS will do 
its best to accommodate all persons who registered and requested to 
provide oral comments and will limit all speakers to three minutes. 
FSIS encourages persons and groups who have similar interests to 
consolidate their information for presentation by a single 
representative.

Transcripts

    As soon as the meeting transcripts are available, they will be 
accessible on the FSIS website at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/advisory-committees/nacmpi/nacmpi-transcripts. The transcripts may also be viewed at the FSIS Docket Room 
at the address listed above.

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 will also announce and provide a link to this Federal Register 
publication 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 can provide information 
to a much broader, more diverse 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).

    Dated: August 18, 2020.
Cikena Reid,
Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-18389 Filed 8-20-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P