[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 25, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24969-24971]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08617]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2022-0030]


National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (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), FSIS is announcing a virtual meeting of the National Advisory 
Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI). The purpose of the 
Committee is to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on State and 
Federal meat and poultry inspection programs, food safety, and other 
matters that fall within the scope of the Federal Meat Inspection Act 
(FMIA), and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA). The committee 
will convene virtually on June 21-22, 2023, in a public meeting where 
FSIS will present one charge to the Committee: to offer input on ways 
FSIS can enhance outreach efforts to best promote equity and bring 
economic opportunity to underserved communities and individuals, while 
strengthening the food supply chain and ensuring compliance with food 
safety regulations.

DATES: The virtual public meeting is scheduled for June 21-22, 2023. 
The public meeting is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST on June 21 and 22, 
2023.

ADDRESSES: The meeting is virtual and will be viewable via a 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.''
    Public Comments: FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments 
on this meeting by May 25, 2023. Comments may be submitted by any 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 attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for 
submitting comments.
     Mail: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400 Independence 
Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
     Hand- or Courier-Delivered Submittals: Deliver to 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Jamie L. Whitten Building, Room 350-E, 
Washington, DC 20250-3700.
    Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must 
include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2022-0030. Comments 
received in response to this docket will be made available for public 
inspection and posted without change, including any personal 
information, to https://www.regulations.gov.
    Docket: For access to background documents or comments received, 
call (202) 937-4272 to schedule a time to visit the FSIS Docket Room at 
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katrina Green, Director, Resource and 
Administrative Management Staff--Designated Federal Officer, Office of 
Policy and Program Development, by email at [email protected] or 
telephone at 202-205-0495 regarding specific questions about the 
Committee or this meeting. General information about the Committee can 
also be found at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/nacmpi. For the hearing 
impaired, contact the Federal Information Relay Service: https://www.federalrelay.us/ or 800-877-0996 (Voice, TTY, ASCII or Spanish).

[[Page 24970]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The NACMPI was established in 1971 and is authorized under section 
301(a)(4) of the FMIA (21 U.S.C. 661(a)(4)) to carry out the 
responsibilities imposed by 21 U.S.C. 607(c), 624, 645, 661(a)(3), and 
661(c), and authorized under 21 U.S.C. 454(a)(4) of the PPIA, to carry 
out the responsibilities imposed by 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 on meat and poultry inspection programs, food safety, 
and other matters that fall within the scope of the FMIA and PPIA. The 
current charter and other information about NACMPI can be found at 
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/policy/advisory-committees/national-advisory-committee-meat-and-poultry-inspection-nacmpi. Membership of NACMPI is 
drawn from consumers; public health and academic communities; state and 
local governments; and industry.
    On June 21 and 22, 2023, NACMPI will review and discuss how FSIS 
can enhance outreach efforts to best promote equity and bring economic 
opportunity to underserved communities and individuals, while 
strengthening the food supply chain and ensuring compliance with food 
safety regulations. FSIS is seeking input on the topic regarding 
prospective applicants for FSIS inspection and existing small and very 
small establishments currently receiving FSIS inspection.
    On January 20, 2021, the Biden Administration issued an Executive 
Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved 
Communities Through the Federal Government. The Executive Order states 
in part, ``The Federal Government should pursue a comprehensive 
approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and 
others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and 
adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. Affirmatively 
advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity 
is the responsibility of the whole of our Government.'' On April 9, 
2021, the Secretary of Agriculture issued a Civil Rights Policy 
Statement supporting the goals of equity and opportunity laid out in 
the Executive Order.
    On June 16, 2021, USDA published the Federal Register notice 
``Identifying Barriers in USDA Programs and Services; Advancing Racial 
Justice and Equity and Support for Underserved Communities at USDA'' 
(86 FR 32013), which proposed the following definitions:
     The term ``equity'' means the consistent and systematic 
fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including 
individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied 
such treatment, such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native 
American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other 
persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, 
bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with 
disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise 
adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.
     The term ``underserved communities'' means populations 
sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, 
that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate 
in aspects of economic, social, and civic life, as exemplified by the 
list in the preceding definition of ``equity.''
    USDA supports the Biden Administration's commitment to providing 
services in ways that promote equity and opportunity for all. When the 
COVID-19 pandemic began, USDA made significant investments through its 
Pandemic Assistance Program, providing immediate relief to producers, 
businesses, food workers and others. USDA recognizes we must build back 
better and strengthen the food system across the supply chain, from how 
our food is produced to how it is purchased, and all the steps in 
between.
    The goals of USDA's Food System Transformation framework include:
     Creating a fairer food system that combats market 
dominance and helps producers and consumers gain more power in the 
marketplace by creating new, more and better local market options. 
USDA's investments will deliver a better deal for farmers, ranchers, 
growers and consumers.
    Consistent with the USDA's goals to better serve American producers 
and consumers, FSIS strives to provide inspection and other support to 
all stakeholders equitably. Some recent examples of how FSIS assists 
small businesses through initiatives to support small and very small 
establishments include:
     Answering regulatory and technical questions via the Small 
Plant Help Desk component of askFSIS;
     Providing direct outreach to small and very small 
establishments;
     Hosting regional small plant round table meetings to give 
small and very small establishment owners opportunities to interact 
directly with FSIS senior leaders;
     Organizing monthly industry town hall meetings where FSIS 
leaders give information about upcoming initiatives or other topics of 
interest to industry;
     Reducing overtime inspection charges for small and very 
small establishments;
     Supporting small and very small State-inspected 
establishments through cooperative partnerships with State inspection 
programs and the Cooperative Interstate Shipment agreements; and
     Providing numerous guidance documents and related webinars 
to industry, with a focus on small and very small establishments.
    FSIS seeks input on ways to better target outreach to better 
promote equity and bring economic opportunity to underserved 
communities and individuals while strengthening the food supply chain. 
FSIS will ask the committee to consider the following:

Prospective Applicants for FSIS Inspection

    1. What obstacles impede individuals in underserved communities 
from accessing FSIS' information resources, such as: guidelines and 
HACCP models posted on the FSIS website and the Small Plant Help Desk.
    2. What barriers do individuals face when applying for FSIS 
inspection?
    3. What steps, outreach methods, partnerships, or strategies should 
FSIS consider regarding awareness of existing resources in underserved 
communities?

Small and Very Small Establishments Currently Receiving FSIS Inspection

    1. Are there any FSIS regulations or policies that create barriers 
or challenges for small and very small, regulated establishments?
    2. What are the most critical kinds of information that would help 
small and very small establishments in underserved communities?
    3. How can FSIS more effectively share scientific information with 
small and very small establishments so that they can use the best 
available information to support their food safety systems?
    4. What organizations are most effective at providing assistance to 
small and very small establishments and what can FSIS learn from these 
organizations to enhance its own efforts to assist small and very small 
establishments?
    5. What concrete actions can FSIS take, alone or in partnership 
with other stakeholder organizations, to more effectively aid existing 
small and very small FSIS regulated establishments in underserved 
communities?
    FSIS will present the issue described above to the full Committee. 
The

[[Page 24971]]

Committee will then divide into two subcommittees to discuss the issue 
regarding prospective applicants for FSIS inspection and existing small 
and very small establishments currently receiving FSIS inspection, 
respectively. Each subcommittee will provide a report of their comments 
and recommendations to the full Committee before the meeting concludes 
on June 22, 2023. FSIS will finalize the agenda on or before the 
meeting dates and post it on the FSIS website at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/events-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://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/events-meetings.

Public Comments and Participation in Meetings

    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/policy/advisory-committees/national-advisory-committee-meat-and-poultry-inspection-nacmpi. 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: 
https://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: https://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

    In accordance with Federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights 
regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and 
employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA 
programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, 
national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender 
expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, 
family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance 
program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil 
rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA 
(not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing 
deadlines vary by program or incident.
    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of 
communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible 
Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or 
contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. 
Additionally, program information may be made available in languages 
other than English.
    To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA 
Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at https://www.usda.gov/forms/electronic-forms and at any USDA office or write a 
letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the 
information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint 
form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA 
by:
    (1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20250-9410;
    (2) Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
    (3) Email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity 
provider, employer, and lender.

    Dated: April 18, 2023.
Cikena Reid,
USDA Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-08617 Filed 4-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P