[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]
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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.
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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.
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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]
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