Interagency Retail Listeria monocytogenes Risk Assessment: Notice of a Public Meeting, 27276-27278 [E9-13378]
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27276
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 74, No. 109
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
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
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
June 3, 2009.
The Department of Agriculture has
submitted the following information
collection requirement(s) to OMB for
review and clearance under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13. Comments
regarding (a) whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of burden including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility and
clarity of the information to be
collected; (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on those who are to respond, including
through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology should be addressed to: Desk
Officer for Agriculture, Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB),
OIRA_Submission@OMB.EOP.GOV or
fax (202) 395–5806 and to Departmental
Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail
Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250–
7602. Comments regarding these
information collections are best assured
of having their full effect if received
within 30 days of this notification.
Copies of the submission(s) may be
obtained by calling (202) 720–8958.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB control
number and the agency informs
potential persons who are to respond to
the collection of information that such
persons are not required to respond to
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the collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
[Docket No. FSIS–2009–0012]
Title: MyPyramid Tracker Information
Collection for Registration, Login, and
Food Intake and Physical Activity
Assessment Information.
OMB Control Number: 0584–0535.
Summary of Collection: The U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA),
Center for Nutrition Policy and
Promotion (CNPP) supports and
promotes the health of all Americans by
producing and promoting up-to-date
science-based dietary guidance,
including the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans 2005 and the USDA’s
MyPyramid Food Guidance System.
CNPP has two interactive tools,
MyPyramid Menu Planner and
MyPyramid Tracker, to provide
consumers with personalized nutrition
and physical activity assessments based
on the current Dietary Guidelines for
Americans. The authority to collect the
information can be found under Subtitle
D of the National Agriculture Research,
Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of
1977 (7 U.S.C. 3171–3175) and 7 CFR
2.19(a)(3).
Need and Use of the Information:
MyPyramid Menu Planner and
MyPyramid Tracker are tools that can
assist the public in making diet and
physical activity choices. Users
voluntarily go to the MyPyramid.gov
web site to submit information. The
information obtained from users is
stored in a user account, which is
maintained by USDA information
technology (IT) staff. If the information
is not collected, users will not be able
to assess individual food intake and
physical activity status.
Description of Respondents:
Individual or Households.
Number of Respondents: 3,310,722.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
Monthly.
Total Burden Hours: 6,843,466.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E9–13377 Filed 6–8–09; 8:45 am]
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Food Safety and Inspection Service
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. FDA–2008–N–0658]
Interagency Retail Listeria
monocytogenes Risk Assessment:
Notice of a Public Meeting
AGENCIES: Food Safety and Inspection
Service, USDA; Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug
Administration, DHHS.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
SUMMARY: The Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Food
and Drug Administration/Center for
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
(FDA/CFSAN) are holding a public
meeting to present the background,
approach, scope, and data needs for a
recently initiated interagency risk
assessment of the public health impact
of foodborne Listeria monocytogenes (L.
monocytogenes) in some ready-to-eat
foods that are sliced, prepared, or
packaged in retail facilities. The
purpose of this ‘‘Interagency Retail L.
monocytogenes Risk Assessment’’ is to
ascertain the effect on the public health
of current practices and potential
interventions that reduce or prevent L.
monocytogenes contamination in readyto-eat foods. FSIS and FDA invite
interested individuals, organizations,
and other stakeholders to participate in
the meeting and comment on this topic.
DATES: The public meeting will be held
on Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 8:30 a.m. to
5 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L’Enfant
Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20024,
Telephone: 202–484–1000.
Registration: Pre-registration for this
meeting is encouraged. To pre-register,
access the FSIS Web site, https://www.
fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/.
Contact Sheila Johnson for more
information on logistics at 202–690–
6498. Persons requiring a sign language
interpreter or other special
accommodations should notify Sheila
Johnson by June 16, 2009.
E:\FR\FM\09JNN1.SGM
09JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 109 / Tuesday, June 9, 2009 / Notices
Regardless of attendance at the public
meeting, FSIS and FDA invite interested
persons to submit comments on this
notice. Comments may be submitted by
either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: This
Web site 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 Online instructions at that site for
submitting comments. Comments to
FSIS:
Mail, including floppy disks or CD–
ROMs, and hand- or courier-delivered
items: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, FSIS, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW., Room
2534, South Agriculture Building,
Washington, DC 20250–3700.
Instructions: All items submitted to
FSIS by mail or electronic mail must
include the Agency name and docket
number FSIS–2009–0012. 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.
For access to background documents
or comments received, go to the FSIS
Docket Room at the address listed above
between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday.
Comments to FDA: Interested persons
may submit written or electronic
comments to the FDA Division of
Dockets Management (HFA–305), Food
and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers
Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20857.
Submit a single copy of electronic
comments or two paper copies of any
mailed comments, except that
individuals may submit one paper copy.
Comments are to be identified with
docket number FDA–2008–N–0658.
Received comments may be seen in the
Division of Dockets Management
between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
FSIS: Janell Kause, Director, Risk
Assessment Division, Office of Public
Health Science, USDA, 901 D Street,
SW., Washington, DC 20024, Telephone:
202–690–0286, FAX: 202–690–6337, email: Janell.Kause@fsis.usda.gov.
FDA: Sherri Dennis, FDA/CFSAN,
Risk Assessment Coordination Team,
HFS–005, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway,
College Park, Maryland 20740,
Telephone: 301–436–1914, FAX: 301–
436–2641, e-mail:
Sherri.Dennis@fda.hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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I. Background
In 2003, FDA and FSIS issued a
quantitative assessment of the relative
risk to public health from foodborne L.
monocytogenes among selected
categories of ready-to-eat foods
(Reference 1). Among the ready-to-eat
foods evaluated in the assessment, deli
meats were considered to present the
highest risk per serving and the highest
risk per annum. In 2008, FSIS
conducted a comparative risk
assessment on L. monocytogenes in
ready-to-eat meat and poultry deli meats
to estimate the relative risk of illness
from L. monocytogenes on deli meat
sliced and packaged at federally
inspected processing establishments
compared to deli meat sliced at retail
facilities (Reference 2). The result of that
risk assessment indicated that
approximately 83 percent of all
listeriosis cases and deaths attributed to
deli meat consumption are associated
with deli meat sliced and packaged at
retail.
However, little is known about how L.
monocytogenes contamination occurs in
retail facilities. Retail practices may
result in either cross-contamination
from one product to another or through
contamination from the retail
environment. Therefore, it is important
for the Agencies to identify potential
sources and practices that may
contribute to L. monocytogenes
contamination in retail settings. Also, it
is important for the Agencies to identify
interventions that could control, reduce,
or eliminate L. monocytogenes
contamination of ready-to-eat foods
sliced, prepared or packaged in retail
facilities.
In light of the need for the Agencies
to identify how L. monocytogenes
contamination occurs at retail, FSIS and
FDA initiated a joint interagency risk
assessment that will evaluate the
dynamics of L. monocytogenes
contamination in retail facilities. The
risk assessment will evaluate how retail
practices could affect contamination,
and the relative effectiveness of various
process changes and intervention
strategies intended to reduce listeriosis.
It will address both FSIS- and FDAregulated ready-to-eat foods. It will
focus on foods that are sliced, prepared,
or packaged for the consumer in the
retail environment and consumed in the
home. Cheeses, deli meats, and delitype salads (as defined in Reference 1)
Will be studied as representative
examples. A request for comments and
scientific data and information was
published for this risk assessment on
January 21, 2009 (74 FR 3617)
(Reference 3).
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27277
II. Purpose of the Meeting and Agenda
The purpose of the meeting is to
introduce and discuss the scope and the
objectives of this interagency retail L.
monocytogenes risk assessment and to
solicit input and comments on how
FSIS and FDA may conduct this risk
assessment.
A copy of the agenda will be made
available for viewing prior to the
meeting at FSIS: https://www.fsis.usda.
gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/ and at
FDA: https://www.cfsan.fda.gov/
register.html.
The meeting agenda will include
presentations on background
information relevant to L.
monocytogenes at retail and specific
information about the scope of the risk
assessment, the risk assessment’s
conceptual model, data sources, and
needs. Time will be provided for
questions from the participants and also
for comments.
III. Transcripts
Please be advised that as soon as a
transcript is available, it will be
accessible at https://
www.regulations.gov. The transcript
may be viewed at FSIS: FSIS Docket
Room, Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, FSIS, 1400 Independence
Avenue, SW., Room 2534, South
Agriculture Building, Washington, DC
20250–3700, and will also be posted on
the Agency Web site (https://
www.fsis.usda.gov). It may also be
viewed at FDA: Division of Dockets
Management (HFA–305), Food and Drug
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane,
Room 1061, Rockville, MD. A copy of
the transcript will also be available in
either hardcopy or on CD–ROM, after
submission of a Freedom of Information
request. Written requests are to be sent
to Division of Freedom of Information
(HFI–35), Office of Management
Programs, Food and Drug
Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane,
Room 6–30, Rockville MD 20857.
IV. References
The following references are on
display in the FSIS Docket Room at the
address above between 8:30 a.m. and
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and
in the FDA Division of Dockets
Management at the address above
between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday. (FSIS and FDA have
verified the following Web site
addresses, but FSIS and FDA are not
responsible for any subsequent changes
to the Web sites after this document
publishes in the Federal Register.)
1. U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Food and Drug
E:\FR\FM\09JNN1.SGM
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27278
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 109 / Tuesday, June 9, 2009 / Notices
Administration and U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection
Service, ’’Quantitative Assessment of
Relative Risk to Public Health from
Foodborne Listeria monocytogenes
Among Selected Categories of Ready-toEat Foods,’’ September 2003, https://
www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/lmr2toc.html.
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Food Safety and Inspection Service,
‘‘Draft FSIS Comparative Risk
Assessment for Listeria monocytogenes
in Ready-to-eat Meat and Poultry Deli
Meats,’’ March 2009, https://www.fsis.
usda.gov/Science/Risk_Assessments/
index.asp#RTE.
3. Risk Assessment of the Public
Health Impact from Foodborne Listeria
monocytogenes in Some Ready-to-Eat
Foods Sliced, Prepared, and/or
Packaged in Retail Facilities; Request for
Comments and for Scientific Data and
Information. (74 FR 3617 (January 21,
2009)), Docket No. FDA–2008–N–0658,
https://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/
98fr/E9–938.pdf.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of
rulemaking and policy development is
important. Consequently, in an effort to
ensure that the public and in particular
minorities, women, and persons with
disabilities, are aware of this notice,
FSIS will announce it on-line through
the FSIS Web page located at https://
www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2009_
Notices_Index/. FSIS also will make
copies of this Federal Register
publication available 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 Update is communicated via
Listserv, a free e-mail subscription
service consisting of industry, trade, and
farm groups, consumer interest groups,
allied health professionals, scientific
professionals, and other individuals
who have requested to be included. The
Update also is available on the FSIS
Web page. Through Listserv and the
Web page, FSIS is able to provide
information to a much broader, more
diverse audience.
In addition, FSIS offers an e-mail
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/news_and_
events/email_subscription/. Options
range from recalls, export information,
regulations, directives, and notices.
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14:45 Jun 08, 2009
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Customers can add or delete
subscriptions themselves, and have the
option to password protect their
accounts.
Dated: June 1, 2009.
Amy Gowan,
Designated Federal Official.
[FR Doc. E9–13311 Filed 6–8–09; 8:45 am]
Done at Washington, DC, on: June 3, 2009.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Administrator, FSIS.
Done at Washington, DC, on: June 3, 2009.
Jeffrey Shuren,
Associate Commissioner for Policy and
Planning, FDA.
[FR Doc. E9–13378 Filed 6–8–09; 8:45 am]
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Forest Service, USDA.
Notice; request for public
comment.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Merger of Northeastern Area and
Eastern Region
AGENCY:
ACTION:
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Fremont and Winema Resource
Advisory Committee
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of meeting.
SUMMARY: The Fremont and Winema
Resource Advisory Committee will meet
in Lakeview Oregon, for the purpose of
evaluating and recommending resource
management projects for funding in FY
2010, under the provisions of Title II of
the Secure Rural Schools and
Community Self-Determination Act of
2008 (Pub. L. 110–343).
DATES: The meeting will be held on July
21 and 22, 2009.
The meeting will take place
at the Lakeview Interagency Office, 1301
South G Street, Lakeview, OR 97630.
Send written comments to Fremont
and Winema Resource Advisory
Committee, c/o USDA Forest Service,
2819 Dahlia Street, Klamath Falls, OR
97601 or electronically to
agowan@fs.fed.us.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amy Gowan, Designated Federal
Official, c/o Klamath Ranger District,
2819 Dahlia Street, Klamath Falls, OR
97601, telephone (541) 883–6741.
The
agenda will include a review of FY 2010
Title II project proposals submitted by
the Forest Service, the public, nonprofits and other agencies, presentations
by project proponents, and final
recommendations for funding of fiscal
year 2010 projects.
All Fremont and Winema Resource
Advisory Committee Meetings are open
to the public. Public input and comment
forum will take place in the afternoon
of July 22, 2009. Interested citizens are
encouraged to attend.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service,
Executive Leadership Team (ELT)
proposes to merge the management of
the Northeastern Area with the Eastern
Region. The desire to obtain
organizational consistency across the
country has prompted the ELT to
combine the two units. This step will
enable a more cohesive forest
management program to be developed
and deployed. One lead organizational
unit will provide a powerful, effective
suite of Forest Service programs to help
improve people’s lives and sustain the
natural resources in the region.
DATES: Comments on the improved
delivery of State and Private services
consistent with the newly merged
organization must be received in writing
by July 9, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
USDA, Forest Service, Attention:
Deputy Chief for State and Private
Forestry, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Mailstop 1109, Washington, DC
20250–1109. Comments may also be
sent via e-mail to spf@fs.fed.us. If
comments are sent electronically, the
public is requested not to send
duplicate comments by regular mail.
Please confine comments to issues
pertinent to the delivery of services
under the proposed merger.
All comments, including names and
addresses when provided, are placed in
the record and are available for public
inspection and copying. The public may
inspect comments received at the Office
of the Deputy Chief, State and Private
Forestry, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC. Visitors are
encouraged to call (202) 205–1657 to
facilitate entry to the building.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kent
Connaughton, Regional Forester, Eastern
Region at kconnaughton@fs.fed.us or by
phone at 414–297–3765.
Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339
E:\FR\FM\09JNN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 9, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27276-27278]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-13378]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2009-0012]
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. FDA-2008-N-0658]
Interagency Retail Listeria monocytogenes Risk Assessment: Notice
of a Public Meeting
AGENCIES: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA; Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, DHHS.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Food and
Drug Administration/Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA/
CFSAN) are holding a public meeting to present the background,
approach, scope, and data needs for a recently initiated interagency
risk assessment of the public health impact of foodborne Listeria
monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) in some ready-to-eat foods that are
sliced, prepared, or packaged in retail facilities. The purpose of this
``Interagency Retail L. monocytogenes Risk Assessment'' is to ascertain
the effect on the public health of current practices and potential
interventions that reduce or prevent L. monocytogenes contamination in
ready-to-eat foods. FSIS and FDA invite interested individuals,
organizations, and other stakeholders to participate in the meeting and
comment on this topic.
DATES: The public meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 8:30
a.m. to 5 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480
L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20024, Telephone: 202-484-1000.
Registration: Pre-registration for this meeting is encouraged. To
pre-register, access the FSIS Web site, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/.
Contact Sheila Johnson for more information on logistics at 202-
690-6498. Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or other
special accommodations should notify Sheila Johnson by June 16, 2009.
[[Page 27277]]
Regardless of attendance at the public meeting, FSIS and FDA invite
interested persons to submit comments on this notice. Comments may be
submitted by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: This Web site 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 Online instructions at that site for submitting comments.
Comments to FSIS:
Mail, including floppy disks or CD-ROMs, and hand- or courier-
delivered items: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
FSIS, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 2534, South Agriculture
Building, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Instructions: All items submitted to FSIS by mail or electronic
mail must include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2009-0012.
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.
For access to background documents or comments received, go to the
FSIS Docket Room at the address listed above between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday.
Comments to FDA: Interested persons may submit written or
electronic comments to the FDA Division of Dockets Management (HFA-
305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061,
Rockville, MD 20857. Submit a single copy of electronic comments or two
paper copies of any mailed comments, except that individuals may submit
one paper copy. Comments are to be identified with docket number FDA-
2008-N-0658. Received comments may be seen in the Division of Dockets
Management between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
FSIS: Janell Kause, Director, Risk Assessment Division, Office of
Public Health Science, USDA, 901 D Street, SW., Washington, DC 20024,
Telephone: 202-690-0286, FAX: 202-690-6337, e-mail:
Janell.Kause@fsis.usda.gov.
FDA: Sherri Dennis, FDA/CFSAN, Risk Assessment Coordination Team,
HFS-005, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, Maryland 20740,
Telephone: 301-436-1914, FAX: 301-436-2641, e-mail:
Sherri.Dennis@fda.hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
In 2003, FDA and FSIS issued a quantitative assessment of the
relative risk to public health from foodborne L. monocytogenes among
selected categories of ready-to-eat foods (Reference 1). Among the
ready-to-eat foods evaluated in the assessment, deli meats were
considered to present the highest risk per serving and the highest risk
per annum. In 2008, FSIS conducted a comparative risk assessment on L.
monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat and poultry deli meats to estimate
the relative risk of illness from L. monocytogenes on deli meat sliced
and packaged at federally inspected processing establishments compared
to deli meat sliced at retail facilities (Reference 2). The result of
that risk assessment indicated that approximately 83 percent of all
listeriosis cases and deaths attributed to deli meat consumption are
associated with deli meat sliced and packaged at retail.
However, little is known about how L. monocytogenes contamination
occurs in retail facilities. Retail practices may result in either
cross-contamination from one product to another or through
contamination from the retail environment. Therefore, it is important
for the Agencies to identify potential sources and practices that may
contribute to L. monocytogenes contamination in retail settings. Also,
it is important for the Agencies to identify interventions that could
control, reduce, or eliminate L. monocytogenes contamination of ready-
to-eat foods sliced, prepared or packaged in retail facilities.
In light of the need for the Agencies to identify how L.
monocytogenes contamination occurs at retail, FSIS and FDA initiated a
joint interagency risk assessment that will evaluate the dynamics of L.
monocytogenes contamination in retail facilities. The risk assessment
will evaluate how retail practices could affect contamination, and the
relative effectiveness of various process changes and intervention
strategies intended to reduce listeriosis. It will address both FSIS-
and FDA-regulated ready-to-eat foods. It will focus on foods that are
sliced, prepared, or packaged for the consumer in the retail
environment and consumed in the home. Cheeses, deli meats, and deli-
type salads (as defined in Reference 1) Will be studied as
representative examples. A request for comments and scientific data and
information was published for this risk assessment on January 21, 2009
(74 FR 3617) (Reference 3).
II. Purpose of the Meeting and Agenda
The purpose of the meeting is to introduce and discuss the scope
and the objectives of this interagency retail L. monocytogenes risk
assessment and to solicit input and comments on how FSIS and FDA may
conduct this risk assessment.
A copy of the agenda will be made available for viewing prior to
the meeting at FSIS: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/
and at FDA: https://www.cfsan.fda.gov/register.html.
The meeting agenda will include presentations on background
information relevant to L. monocytogenes at retail and specific
information about the scope of the risk assessment, the risk
assessment's conceptual model, data sources, and needs. Time will be
provided for questions from the participants and also for comments.
III. Transcripts
Please be advised that as soon as a transcript is available, it
will be accessible at https://www.regulations.gov. The transcript may be
viewed at FSIS: FSIS Docket Room, Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, FSIS, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 2534, South
Agriculture Building, Washington, DC 20250-3700, and will also be
posted on the Agency Web site (https://www.fsis.usda.gov). It may also
be viewed at FDA: Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and
Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD. A
copy of the transcript will also be available in either hardcopy or on
CD-ROM, after submission of a Freedom of Information request. Written
requests are to be sent to Division of Freedom of Information (HFI-35),
Office of Management Programs, Food and Drug Administration, 5600
Fishers Lane, Room 6-30, Rockville MD 20857.
IV. References
The following references are on display in the FSIS Docket Room at
the address above between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday, and in the FDA Division of Dockets Management at the address
above between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. (FSIS and FDA
have verified the following Web site addresses, but FSIS and FDA are
not responsible for any subsequent changes to the Web sites after this
document publishes in the Federal Register.)
1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug
[[Page 27278]]
Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and
Inspection Service, ''Quantitative Assessment of Relative Risk to
Public Health from Foodborne Listeria monocytogenes Among Selected
Categories of Ready-to-Eat Foods,'' September 2003, https://
www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/lmr2-toc.html.
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection
Service, ``Draft FSIS Comparative Risk Assessment for Listeria
monocytogenes in Ready-to-eat Meat and Poultry Deli Meats,'' March
2009, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/Risk_Assessments/index.asp#RTE.
3. Risk Assessment of the Public Health Impact from Foodborne
Listeria monocytogenes in Some Ready-to-Eat Foods Sliced, Prepared,
and/or Packaged in Retail Facilities; Request for Comments and for
Scientific Data and Information. (74 FR 3617 (January 21, 2009)),
Docket No. FDA-2008-N-0658, https://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/E9-938.pdf.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that the
public and in particular minorities, women, and persons with
disabilities, are aware of this notice, FSIS will announce it on-line
through the FSIS Web page located at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2009_Notices_Index/. FSIS also will make copies of this
Federal Register publication available 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 Update is
communicated via Listserv, a free e-mail subscription service
consisting of industry, trade, and farm groups, consumer interest
groups, allied health professionals, scientific professionals, and
other individuals who have requested to be included. The Update also is
available on the FSIS Web page. Through Listserv and the Web page, FSIS
is able to provide information to a much broader, more diverse
audience.
In addition, FSIS offers an e-mail 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/news_and_events/email_subscription/. Options range from recalls,
export information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can
add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to password
protect their accounts.
Done at Washington, DC, on: June 3, 2009.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Administrator, FSIS.
Done at Washington, DC, on: June 3, 2009.
Jeffrey Shuren,
Associate Commissioner for Policy and Planning, FDA.
[FR Doc. E9-13378 Filed 6-8-09; 8:45 am]
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