[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 165 (Tuesday, August 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52300-52301]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18589]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 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. 165 / Tuesday, August 25, 2020 / 
Notices  

[[Page 52300]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2020-0026]


Food Safety: Consumer Outreach and Education Today and for the 
Future

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notification of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), is hosting a 
virtual public meeting with participation from the U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC), and the Partnership for Food Safety Education. FSIS seeks to 
establish a comprehensive understanding of how consumers handle and 
prepare food today, by reviewing recent research and forthcoming 
research, so as to develop the most effective approach for consumer 
outreach and education in the future. Industry, consumer 
representatives, non-profits, food safety advocates working at state, 
county and local levels, and other interested individuals are invited 
to participate in the meeting and comment on the data and science that 
drive FSIS consumer education.

DATES: The virtual public meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 6, 
2020, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST. Submit comments on or before 
October 9, 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 
must pre-register for the meeting. See the pre-registration 
instructions under ``Registration and Meeting Materials.'' FSIS invites 
interested persons to submit comments and questions on this Federal 
Register notice. Comments and questions 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.
    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-2020-0026. 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:  Jesus Garcia, (202) 260-9432, 
[email protected]. 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

    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.
    Food poisoning, also referred to as foodborne illness, is a serious 
public health threat in the United States. The CDC estimates that 
millions of Americans become ill from foodborne illness every year, 
resulting in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. 
Consumer education focused on safe food handling and preparation 
practices can help reduce food poisoning, hospitalizations, and deaths.
    Consumer research is the backbone of FSIS' educational outreach. 
FSIS uses research to assess whether its food safety messaging meets 
the needs of the consumer. This data-driven approach allows FSIS to 
refine its consumer outreach. FSIS' Office of Public Affairs and 
Consumer Education (OPACE) provides this outreach, as well as general 
information on food recalls, food inspection policies, food handling 
best practices, foodborne illnesses and food safety risks, to empower 
consumers to make safe decisions about handling, cooking, and storing 
their food.
    In 2017, USDA embarked on a multi-year research project to study 
consumers' knowledge about food safety, food handling and food 
preparation practices. FSIS will host a discussion at the coming public 
meeting to consider how the study findings provide insight into the 
agency's public health education and communication activities.
    FSIS will hold a virtual public meeting on October 6, 2020, with 
participation from CDC, FDA, and the Partnership for Food Safety 
Education, to discuss FSIS' consumer education efforts over the years 
and how this multi-year research project has helped identify gaps in 
outreach to focus engagement where it is needed most. FSIS invites 
industry, consumer representatives, non-profits, food safety advocates 
working at state, county and local levels, and other interested 
individuals to this forum to discuss these efforts and how we all might 
be most effective in the future.
    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 https://ems8.intellor.com/?do=register&t=1&p=831094.

[[Page 52301]]

Public Comments and Participation in Meetings

Oral Comments

    Stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide oral comments 
during the public meeting. As mentioned above, 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.

Public Questions

    During the meeting, FSIS will host a roundtable discussion with 
subject matter experts. Questions may be submitted in advance (by 
September 18, 2020) using the process described above in the ADDRESSES 
section.

Transcripts

    As soon as the meeting transcripts are available they will be 
accessible on the FSIS website at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/meetings. The transcripts may also be viewed at the FSIS 
Docket Room at the addressed 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).

Paul Kiecker,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2020-18589 Filed 8-24-20; 8:45 am]
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