[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 196 (Thursday, October 8, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63502-63504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22293]


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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2020-0029]


National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for 
Foods; Membership Nominations

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; soliciting nominations.

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

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of the rules and regulations of the 
Department of Agriculture and the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting 
nominations for membership on the National Advisory Committee on 
Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). There are 9 vacancies. 
Advisory Committee members serve a two-year term that may be renewed 
for two additional consecutive terms, at the discretion of the 
Secretary of Agriculture.

DATES: All materials must be received by November 9, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Nomination packages should be sent by email to 
[email protected] or mailed to: Sonny Perdue, Secretary, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20250, Attn: FSIS\OPHS\National Advisory Committee on Microbiological 
Criteria for Foods (John Jarosh).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Jarosh, Designated Federal 
Officer, by telephone at 202-690-6128 or by email [email protected].
    The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) invites interested 
persons to submit comments on this Federal Register notice. Comments 
may be submitted by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: This website (http://www.regulations.gov/) provides the ability to type short comments 
directly into the comment field on this web page or attach a file for 
lengthier comments. Follow the online instructions at that site for 
submitting comments.
     Mail, including CD-ROMS and hand or courier delivered 
items: Send to Docket Clerk, Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and 
Inspection Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Room 
6065, Washington, DC 20250-3700 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday 
through Friday.
    Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must 
include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2020-0029. 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, go 
to the FSIS Docket Room at Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and 
Inspection

[[Page 63503]]

Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Room 6065, 
Washington, DC 20250-3700 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday 
through Friday. All comments submitted in response to this notice, as 
well as background information used by FSIS in developing this 
document, will be available for public inspection in the FSIS Docket 
Room at the address listed above between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USDA is seeking NACMCF nominees with 
scientific expertise in the fields of microbiology, epidemiology, food 
technology (food, clinical, and predictive), toxicology, risk 
assessment, infectious disease, biostatistics, and other related 
sciences. USDA is seeking nominations for NACMCF from persons in 
academia, industry, State governments, and the Federal Government, as 
well as all other interested persons with the required expertise.
    USDA is also seeking nominations for one individual affiliated with 
a consumer group to serve on the NACMCF. This member will serve as a 
representative member to provide a consumer viewpoint to the Committee. 
This member will not be required to have a scientific background and 
will not be subject to a conflict of interest review.
    Members can serve on only one USDA advisory Committee at a time. 
All nominees will undergo a USDA background check. With the exception 
of the consumer representative member, any member who is not a Federal 
government employee will be appointed to serve as a non-compensated 
special government employee (SGE). SGEs will be subject to appropriate 
conflict of interest statutes and standards of ethical conduct.
    Applicants that are federally registered lobbyists will not be 
considered for USDA's NACMCF federal advisory Committee, if the 
position of appointment will serve in a Special Government Employee 
capacity.
    Nominations for membership on the NACMCF must be addressed to the 
Secretary of Agriculture and accompanied by a cover letter addressing 
the nomination. Additionally, a resume or curriculum vitae and a 
completed USDA Advisory Committee Membership Background Information 
form AD-755 (available online at: https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-755) must be included with the nomination. The resume or curriculum 
vitae must be limited to five one-sided pages and should include 
educational background, expertise, and a list of select publications, 
if available, that confirm the nominee's expertise for the related 
work. Any submissions with more than the prescribed five one-sided 
pages in length will have only the first five pages reviewed.
    A person may self-nominate, or a nomination can be made on behalf 
of someone else.

Background

    The NACMCF was established in March 1988, in response to a 
recommendation in a 1985 report of the National Academy of Sciences 
Committee on Food Protection, Subcommittee on Microbiological Criteria, 
``An Evaluation of the Role of Microbiological Criteria for Foods.'' 
The current charter for the NACMCF and other information about the 
Committee are available to the public for viewing on the FSIS website 
at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/nacmcf.
    The Committee provides scientific advice and recommendations to the 
Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
concerning the development of microbiological criteria by which the 
safety and wholesomeness of food can be assessed. For example, one of 
the most recent efforts of the Committee is to provide the best 
scientific information available on Shiga Toxin producing E. coli, 
including providing recommendations on optimal detection and 
identification methodologies.
    Appointments to the Committee will be made by the Secretary of 
Agriculture after consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services to ensure that recommendations made by the Committee take into 
account the needs of the diverse groups served by the USDA.
    The full Committee expects to meet at least once a year by 
teleconference or in-person, and the meetings will be announced in the 
Federal Register.
    The subcommittees will meet as deemed necessary by the chairperson 
through working group meetings in an open public forum. Subcommittees 
may also meet through teleconference or by computer-based conferencing 
(webinars). Subcommittees may invite technical experts to present 
information for consideration by the subcommittee. The subcommittee 
meetings will not be announced in the Federal Register; however, FSIS 
will announce the agenda and subcommittee working group meetings 
through the Constituent Update, available online at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/cu.
    NACMCF holds subcommittee meetings in order to accomplish the work 
of NACMCF; all subcommittee work is reviewed and approved during a 
public meeting of the full Committee, as announced in the Federal 
Register. All data and records available to the full Committee are 
expected to be available to the public after the full Committee has 
reviewed and approved the work of the subcommittee. Advisory Committee 
members are expected to attend all in-person meetings during the two-
year term to ensure the smooth functioning of the advisory Committee. 
However, on rare occasions, attendance through teleconferencing may be 
permitted.
    Members must be prepared to work outside of scheduled Committee and 
subcommittee meetings and may be required to assist in document 
preparation. Committee members serve on a voluntary basis; however, 
travel expenses and per diem reimbursements are available.

Regarding Nominees Who Are Selected

    All SGE and Federal government employee nominees who are selected 
must complete the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) 450 Confidential 
Financial Disclosure Report before rendering any advice or prior to 
their first meeting. With the exception of the consumer representative 
Committee member, all Committee members will be reviewed pursuant to 18 
U.S.C. 208 for conflicts of interest relating to specific NACMCF work 
charges, and financial disclosure updates will be required annually. 
Members subject to financial disclosure must report any changes in 
financial holdings requiring additional disclosure. OGE 450 forms are 
available on-line at: https://www2.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/Confidential%20Financial%20Disclosure.

Additional Public Notification

    FSIS will announce this Federal Register notice online 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

[[Page 63504]]

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).
    Done at Washington, DC, on September 29, 2020.

    Dated: September 29, 2020.
Cikena Reid,
Committee Management Officer, USDA.
[FR Doc. 2020-22293 Filed 10-7-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P