Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act: Proposed Rules on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs and the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies; Public Meetings, 57320-57323 [2013-22655]

Download as PDF emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS 57320 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 18, 2013 / Proposed Rules discretion, the Commission tries to remove individuals’ home contact information from comments before placing them on the Commission Web site. Because your comment will be made public, you are solely responsible for making sure that your comment doesn’t include any sensitive personal information, like anyone’s Social Security number, date of birth, driver’s license number or other state identification number or foreign country equivalent, passport number, financial account number, or credit or debit card number. You are also solely responsible for making sure that your comment doesn’t include any sensitive health information, like medical records or other individually identifiable health information. In addition, don’t include any ‘‘[t]rade secret or any commercial or financial information which is . . . privileged or confidential,’’ as discussed in Section 6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 4.10(a)(2). In particular, don’t include competitively sensitive information such as costs, sales statistics, inventories, formulas, patterns, devices, manufacturing processes, or customer names. If you want the Commission to give your comment confidential treatment, you must file it in paper form, with a request for confidential treatment, and follow the procedure explained in FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).9 Your comment will be kept confidential only if the FTC General Counsel, in his or her sole discretion, grants your request in accordance with the law and the public interest. Postal mail addressed to the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security screening. As a result, we encourage you to submit your comments online. To make sure that the Commission considers your online comment, you must file it at https:// ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/ coppakidsafeapp, by following the instructions on the web-based form. If this Notice appears at https:// www.regulations.gov/#!home, you also may file a comment through that Web site. If you file your comment on paper, write ‘‘kidSAFE Application for Safe Harbor, Project No. P–135418’’ on your comment and on the envelope, and mail or deliver it to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the 9 In particular, the written request for confidential treatment that accompanies the comment must include the factual and legal basis for the request, and must identify the specific portions of the comment to be withheld from the public record. See FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c). VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:23 Sep 17, 2013 Jkt 229001 Secretary, Room H–113 (Annex E), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20580. If possible, submit your paper comment to the Commission by courier or overnight service. Visit the Commission Web site at https://www.ftc.gov to read this Notice and the news release describing it. The FTC Act and other laws that the Commission administers permit the collection of public comments to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. The Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments that it receives on or before October 18, 2013. You can find more information, including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, in the Commission’s privacy policy, at https://www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.htm. By direction of the Commission. Donald S. Clark, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2013–22638 Filed 9–17–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6750–01–P DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration 21 CFR Parts 1 and 16 [Docket Nos. FDA–2011–N–0143 and FDA– 2011–N–0146] Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act: Proposed Rules on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs and the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies; Public Meetings AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notification of public meetings. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing two public meetings to discuss two proposed rules aimed at strengthening assurances that imported food meets the same safety standards as food produced domestically. The Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) proposal establishes requirements for importers to verify that their foreign suppliers are implementing the modern, prevention-oriented food safety practices called for by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and achieving the same level of food safety as domestic growers and processors. The second proposed rule on the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/ Certification Bodies would strengthen the quality, objectivity, and transparency of foreign food safety SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 audits on which many U.S. food companies and importers currently rely to help manage the safety of their global food supply chains. The purpose of these public meetings is to solicit oral stakeholder and public comments on the proposed rules and to inform the public about the rulemaking process (including how to submit comments, data, and other information to the rulemaking dockets), and to respond to questions about the proposed rules. DATES: See section II, ‘‘How to Participate in the Public Meeting’’ in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document for date and time of the public meetings, closing dates for advance registration, and information on deadlines for submitting either electronic or written comments to FDA’s Division of Dockets Management. ADDRESSES: See section II, ‘‘How to Participate in the Public Meeting’’ in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about registering for the meetings, to register by phone, or to submit a notice of participation by mail, FAX, or email: Lauren Montgomery, Teya Technologies, LLC, 101 East 9th Ave., Suite 9B, Anchorage, Alaska 99501, 443–833–4297, FAX: 907–562– 5497, email: lauren.montgomery@ teyatech.com. For general questions about the meetings, to request an opportunity to make an oral presentation at the public meetings, to submit the full text, comprehensive outline, or summary of an oral presentation, or for special accommodations due to a disability, contact: Juanita Yates, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS– 009), Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740, 240–402–1731, email: juanita.yates@fda.hhs.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background FSMA (Pub. L. 111–353), was signed into law by President Obama on January 4, 2011, to better protect public health by helping to ensure the safety and security of the food supply. FSMA amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act) to establish the foundation of a modernized, prevention-based food safety system. Among other things, FSMA requires FDA to issue regulations requiring preventive controls for human food and animal food, set standards for produce safety, and require importers to have a program to verify that the food products they bring into the United E:\FR\FM\18SEP1.SGM 18SEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 18, 2013 / Proposed Rules States are produced in a manner consistent with U.S. standards. FSMA was the first major legislative reform of FDA’s food safety authorities in more than 70 years, even though FDA has increased the focus of its food safety efforts on prevention for more than a decade. In the Federal Register of January 16, 2013 (78 FR 3504 and 78 FR 3646), FDA announced the establishment of two dockets so that the public can review the produce safety proposed rule and the preventive controls proposed rule for human food and submit comments to the Agency. These proposed rulemakings were the first of several key proposals in furtherance of FSMA’s food safety mandate. For information on the produce safety proposed rule, the preventive controls rule, and related fact sheets, see FDA’s FSMA Web page located at https://www.fda.gov/Food/ GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ default.htm. In the Federal Register of July 29, 2013 (78 FR 45730 and 78 FR 45782), FDA announced the second set of FSMA proposed rules and the establishment of two additional dockets so that the public can review the proposals on FSVP and the Accreditation of ThirdParty Auditors/Certification Bodies and submit comments to the Agency. Under the proposed FSVP rule, those importing FDA-regulated food into the United States will be held accountable for verifying that their suppliers produce food in a manner consistent with U.S. standards. Under the proposed rule that would establish the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/ Certification Bodies program, the FDA would recognize accreditation bodies based on certain criteria such as competency and impartiality. The accreditation bodies, which could be foreign governments or their agencies or private companies, would in turn accredit third-party auditors to audit and issue certifications for foreign food facilities and food. FDA is announcing a series of public meetings entitled ‘‘The Food Safety Modernization Act Public Meetings on Proposed Rules for Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) and for the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies for Imported Food’’ so that the food industry, consumers, foreign governments, and other stakeholders can better evaluate and comment on the proposals. These meetings, following the Washington, DC public event on September 19 and 20, 2013, are the final two meetings FDA plans to hold during the proposed rules’ comment period. All three public meetings will have the same agenda and are intended to facilitate and support the proposed rules’ evaluation and commenting process. II. How To Participate in the Public Meetings FDA is holding the public meetings on the FSVP and the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies proposed rules to inform the public about the rulemaking process, including how to submit comments, data, and other information to the rulemaking docket; to respond to questions about the proposed rules; and to provide an opportunity for interested persons to make oral presentations. Due to limited space and time, FDA encourages all persons who wish to attend the meetings to register in advance. There is no fee to register for the public meetings, and registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Early registration is recommended because seating is limited. Onsite registration will be accepted, as space permits, after all preregistered attendees are seated. Those requesting an opportunity to make an oral presentation during the time allotted for public comment at the 57321 meeting are asked to submit a request and to provide the specific topic or issue to be addressed. Due to the anticipated high level of interest in presenting public comment and limited time available, FDA is allocating 3 minutes to each speaker to make an oral presentation. Speakers will be limited to making oral remarks; there will not be an opportunity to display materials such as slide shows, videos, or other media during the meeting. If time permits, individuals or organizations that did not register in advance may be granted the opportunity to make an oral presentation. FDA would like to maximize the number of individuals who make a presentation at the meeting and will do our best to accommodate all persons who wish to make a presentation or express their opinions at the meeting. FDA encourages persons and groups who have similar interests to consolidate their information for presentation by a single representative. After reviewing the presentation requests, FDA will notify each participant before the meeting of the approximate time their presentation is scheduled to begin, and remind them of the presentation format (i.e., 3-minute oral presentation without visual media). While oral presentations from specific individuals and organizations will be necessarily limited due to time constraints during the public meeting, stakeholders may submit electronic or written comments discussing any issues of concern to the administrative record (the docket) for the rulemaking. All relevant data and documentation should be submitted with the comments to the relevant docket i.e., FSVP, Docket No. FDA–2011–N–0143, or accreditation of third-party auditors, Docket No. FDA– 2011–N–0146. Table 1 of this document provides information on participation in the public meetings: TABLE 1—INFORMATION ON PARTICIPATION IN THE MEETINGS AND ON SUBMITTING COMMENTS TO THE RULEMAKING DOCKETS Date emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS Public meeting ........... Advance registration .. VerDate Mar<15>2010 Electronic address October 10, 2013, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and October 11, 2013, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. by October 1, 2013 .... 16:23 Sep 17, 2013 Jkt 229001 Address Other information Hyatt Regency Miami, 400 SE Second Ave., Miami, FL 33131. Individuals who wish to participate in person are asked to preregister at https:// www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WorkshopsMeetingsConferences/default.htm. PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 Onsite registration both days from 8 a.m.–8:30 a.m. We encourage you to use electronic registration if possible 1. There is no registration fee for the public meetings. Early registration is recommended because seating is limited. E:\FR\FM\18SEP1.SGM 18SEP1 57322 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 18, 2013 / Proposed Rules TABLE 1—INFORMATION ON PARTICIPATION IN THE MEETINGS AND ON SUBMITTING COMMENTS TO THE RULEMAKING DOCKETS—Continued Date Electronic address Address Request to make a Public Comment. by September 24, 2013. https://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WorkshopsMeetingsConferences/default.htm 2. Request special accommodations due to a disability. Submit electronic or written comments. Public meeting ........... by September 24, 2013. Juanita Yates, fda.hhs.gov. November 26, 2013 ... Other information Docket Nos. FDA–2011–N–0143 and FDA– 2011–N–0146. Advance registration .. October 22, 2013, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and October 23, 2013, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. by October 8, 2013 .... email: juanita.yates@ Individuals who wish to participate in person are asked to preregister at https:// www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WorkshopsMeetingsConferences/default.htm. Request to make a Public Comment. by October 1, 2013 .... by October 1, 2013 .... Juanita Yates, fda.hhs.gov. November 26th, 2013 See FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Hilton Long Beach & Executive Meeting Center, 701 West Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90831. We encourage you to use electronic registration if possible 1. https://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WorkshopsMeetingsConferences/default.htm 2. Request special accommodations due to a disability. Submit electronic or written comments. Requests made on the day of the meeting to make an oral presentation will be granted as time permits. Information on requests to make an oral presentation may be posted without change to https:// www.regulations. gov, including any personal information provided. Onsite registration both days from 8 a.m.–8:30 a.m. There is no registration fee for the public meetings. Early registration is recommended because seating is limited. Requests made on the day of the meeting to make an oral presentation will be granted as time permits. Information on requests to make an oral presentation may be posted without change to https:// www.regulations. gov, including any personal information provided. Docket Nos. FDA–2011–N–0143 and FDA– 2011–N–0146. e-mail: juanita.yates@ See FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 1 You may also register via email, mail, or FAX. Please include your name, title, firm name, address, and phone and FAX numbers in your registration information and send to: Lauren Montgomery, Teya Technologies, LLC, 101 East 9th Ave., Suite 9B, Anchorage, Alaska 99501, 443– 833–4297, FAX: 907–562–5497, email: lauren.montgomery@teyatech.com. Onsite registration will also be available. 2 You may also request to make an oral presentation at the public meeting via email. Please include your name, title, firm name, address, and phone and FAX numbers as well as the full text, comprehensive outline, or summary of your oral presentation and send to: Juanita Yates, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740, 240–402–1731, email: juanita.yates@fda.hhs.gov. emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS III. Comments, Transcripts, and Recorded Video Information and data submitted voluntarily to FDA during the public meeting will become part of the administrative record for the relevant rulemaking and will be accessible to the public at https://www.regulations.gov. The transcript of the proceedings from the public meeting will become part of VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:23 Sep 17, 2013 Jkt 229001 the administrative record for each of the rulemakings. Please be advised that as soon as a transcript is available, it will be accessible at https:// www.regulations.gov and at FDA’s FSMA Web site at: https://www.fda.gov/ Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ default.htm. It may also be viewed at the Division of Dockets Management (HFA– 305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 MD 20852. A 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 the Division of Freedom of Information (ELEM–1029), 12420 Parklawn Dr., Element Bldg., Rockville, MD 20857. E:\FR\FM\18SEP1.SGM 18SEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 18, 2013 / Proposed Rules Dated: September 12, 2013. Leslie Kux, Assistant Commissioner for Policy. [FR Doc. 2013–22655 Filed 9–17–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4160–01–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers 33 CFR Part 334 York River and the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown-Cheatham Annex, Yorktown, Virginia; Danger Zone AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. Notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comments. ACTION: The Corps of Engineers is proposing to establish a danger zone in the waters of the York River off Cheatham Annex, in York County, Virginia. The Cheatham Annex Small Arms Training Center is used by more than 50 active Navy, reserve Navy and active Marine Corps units. The proposed danger zone is necessary to protect the public from hazards associated with the small arms fire operations. SUMMARY: Written comments must be submitted on or before October 18, 2013. DATES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number COE– 2013–0012, by any of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Email: david.b.olson@usace.army.mil. Include the docket number, COE–2013– 0012, in the subject line of the message. Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attn: CECW–CO–R (David B. Olson), 441 G Street NW., Washington, DC 20314–1000. Hand Delivery/Courier: Due to security requirements, we cannot receive comments by hand delivery or courier. Instructions: Direct your comments to docket number COE–2013–0012. All comments received will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available on-line at https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, unless the commenter indicates that the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS ADDRESSES: VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:23 Sep 17, 2013 Jkt 229001 not submit information that you consider to be CBI, or otherwise protected, through regulations.gov or email. The regulations.gov Web site is an anonymous access system, which means we will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email directly to the Corps without going through regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, we recommend that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD–ROM you submit. If we cannot read your comment because of technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, we may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic comments should avoid the use of any special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to www.regulations.gov. All documents in the docket are listed. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, such as CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Olson, Headquarters, Operations and Regulatory Community of Practice, Washington, DC at 202–761–4922, or Mr. Robert Berg, Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, Regulatory Branch, at 757–201–7793. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to its authorities in Section 7 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1917 (40 Stat. 266; 33 U.S.C. 1) and Chapter XIX of the Army Appropriations Act of 1919 (40 Stat. 892; 33 U.S.C. 3), the Corps of Engineers is proposing amendments to regulations in 33 CFR Part 334 to add a permanent danger zone, in the waters of the York River off Cheatham Annex, York County, Virginia. The proposed danger zone is necessary to protect the public from hazards associated with small arms fire operations. Procedural Requirements a. Review Under Executive Order 12866 This proposed rule is issued with respect to a military function of the Department of Defense and the PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 57323 provisions of Executive Order 12866 do not apply. b. Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act This proposed rule has been reviewed under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (Pub. L. 96–354) which requires the preparation of a regulatory flexibility analysis for any regulation that will have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities (i.e., small businesses and small governments). Unless information is obtained to the contrary during the public notice comment period, the Corps expects that the proposed danger zone would have practically no economic impact on the public, no anticipated navigational hazard, or interference with existing waterway traffic. This proposed rule, if adopted, will have no significant economic impact on small entities. c. Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act Due to the administrative nature of this action and because there is no intended change in the use of the area, the Corps expects that this regulation, if adopted, will not have a significant impact to the quality of the human environment and, therefore, preparation of an environmental impact statement will not be required. An environmental assessment will be prepared after the public notice period is closed and all comments have been received and considered. d. Unfunded Mandates Act This proposed rule does not impose an enforceable duty among the private sector and, therefore, it is not a Federal private sector mandate and it is not subject to the requirements of either Section 202 or Section 205 of the Unfunded Mandates Act. We have also found under Section 203 of the Act, that small governments will not be significantly and uniquely affected by this rulemaking. List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 334 Danger zones, Marine safety, Navigation (water), Restricted areas, Waterways. For the reasons set out in the preamble, the Corps proposes to amend 33 CFR part 334 as follows: PART 334—DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS 1. The authority citation for 33 CFR part 334 continues to read as follows: ■ Authority: 40 Stat. 266 (33 U.S.C. 1) and 40 Stat. 892 (33 U.S.C. 3). E:\FR\FM\18SEP1.SGM 18SEP1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 181 (Wednesday, September 18, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57320-57323]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-22655]


=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

21 CFR Parts 1 and 16

[Docket Nos. FDA-2011-N-0143 and FDA-2011-N-0146]


Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act: 
Proposed Rules on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs and the 
Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies; Public 
Meetings

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notification of public meetings.

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

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing two 
public meetings to discuss two proposed rules aimed at strengthening 
assurances that imported food meets the same safety standards as food 
produced domestically. The Foreign Supplier Verification Programs 
(FSVP) proposal establishes requirements for importers to verify that 
their foreign suppliers are implementing the modern, prevention-
oriented food safety practices called for by the Food Safety 
Modernization Act (FSMA) and achieving the same level of food safety as 
domestic growers and processors. The second proposed rule on the 
Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies would 
strengthen the quality, objectivity, and transparency of foreign food 
safety audits on which many U.S. food companies and importers currently 
rely to help manage the safety of their global food supply chains. The 
purpose of these public meetings is to solicit oral stakeholder and 
public comments on the proposed rules and to inform the public about 
the rulemaking process (including how to submit comments, data, and 
other information to the rulemaking dockets), and to respond to 
questions about the proposed rules.

DATES: See section II, ``How to Participate in the Public Meeting'' in 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document for date and 
time of the public meetings, closing dates for advance registration, 
and information on deadlines for submitting either electronic or 
written comments to FDA's Division of Dockets Management.

ADDRESSES: See section II, ``How to Participate in the Public Meeting'' 
in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about registering for 
the meetings, to register by phone, or to submit a notice of 
participation by mail, FAX, or email: Lauren Montgomery, Teya 
Technologies, LLC, 101 East 9th Ave., Suite 9B, Anchorage, Alaska 
99501, 443-833-4297, FAX: 907-562-5497, email: 
lauren.montgomery@teyatech.com.
    For general questions about the meetings, to request an opportunity 
to make an oral presentation at the public meetings, to submit the full 
text, comprehensive outline, or summary of an oral presentation, or for 
special accommodations due to a disability, contact: Juanita Yates, 
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-009), Food and Drug 
Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740, 240-
402-1731, email: juanita.yates@fda.hhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    FSMA (Pub. L. 111-353), was signed into law by President Obama on 
January 4, 2011, to better protect public health by helping to ensure 
the safety and security of the food supply. FSMA amends the Federal 
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act) to establish the foundation 
of a modernized, prevention-based food safety system. Among other 
things, FSMA requires FDA to issue regulations requiring preventive 
controls for human food and animal food, set standards for produce 
safety, and require importers to have a program to verify that the food 
products they bring into the United

[[Page 57321]]

States are produced in a manner consistent with U.S. standards.
    FSMA was the first major legislative reform of FDA's food safety 
authorities in more than 70 years, even though FDA has increased the 
focus of its food safety efforts on prevention for more than a decade. 
In the Federal Register of January 16, 2013 (78 FR 3504 and 78 FR 
3646), FDA announced the establishment of two dockets so that the 
public can review the produce safety proposed rule and the preventive 
controls proposed rule for human food and submit comments to the 
Agency. These proposed rulemakings were the first of several key 
proposals in furtherance of FSMA's food safety mandate. For information 
on the produce safety proposed rule, the preventive controls rule, and 
related fact sheets, see FDA's FSMA Web page located at https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/default.htm.
    In the Federal Register of July 29, 2013 (78 FR 45730 and 78 FR 
45782), FDA announced the second set of FSMA proposed rules and the 
establishment of two additional dockets so that the public can review 
the proposals on FSVP and the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/
Certification Bodies and submit comments to the Agency. Under the 
proposed FSVP rule, those importing FDA-regulated food into the United 
States will be held accountable for verifying that their suppliers 
produce food in a manner consistent with U.S. standards. Under the 
proposed rule that would establish the Accreditation of Third-Party 
Auditors/Certification Bodies program, the FDA would recognize 
accreditation bodies based on certain criteria such as competency and 
impartiality. The accreditation bodies, which could be foreign 
governments or their agencies or private companies, would in turn 
accredit third-party auditors to audit and issue certifications for 
foreign food facilities and food.
    FDA is announcing a series of public meetings entitled ``The Food 
Safety Modernization Act Public Meetings on Proposed Rules for Foreign 
Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) and for the Accreditation of 
Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies for Imported Food'' so that 
the food industry, consumers, foreign governments, and other 
stakeholders can better evaluate and comment on the proposals. These 
meetings, following the Washington, DC public event on September 19 and 
20, 2013, are the final two meetings FDA plans to hold during the 
proposed rules' comment period. All three public meetings will have the 
same agenda and are intended to facilitate and support the proposed 
rules' evaluation and commenting process.

II. How To Participate in the Public Meetings

    FDA is holding the public meetings on the FSVP and the 
Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies proposed 
rules to inform the public about the rulemaking process, including how 
to submit comments, data, and other information to the rulemaking 
docket; to respond to questions about the proposed rules; and to 
provide an opportunity for interested persons to make oral 
presentations. Due to limited space and time, FDA encourages all 
persons who wish to attend the meetings to register in advance. There 
is no fee to register for the public meetings, and registration will be 
on a first-come, first-served basis. Early registration is recommended 
because seating is limited. Onsite registration will be accepted, as 
space permits, after all preregistered attendees are seated.
    Those requesting an opportunity to make an oral presentation during 
the time allotted for public comment at the meeting are asked to submit 
a request and to provide the specific topic or issue to be addressed. 
Due to the anticipated high level of interest in presenting public 
comment and limited time available, FDA is allocating 3 minutes to each 
speaker to make an oral presentation. Speakers will be limited to 
making oral remarks; there will not be an opportunity to display 
materials such as slide shows, videos, or other media during the 
meeting. If time permits, individuals or organizations that did not 
register in advance may be granted the opportunity to make an oral 
presentation. FDA would like to maximize the number of individuals who 
make a presentation at the meeting and will do our best to accommodate 
all persons who wish to make a presentation or express their opinions 
at the meeting.
    FDA encourages persons and groups who have similar interests to 
consolidate their information for presentation by a single 
representative. After reviewing the presentation requests, FDA will 
notify each participant before the meeting of the approximate time 
their presentation is scheduled to begin, and remind them of the 
presentation format (i.e., 3-minute oral presentation without visual 
media).
    While oral presentations from specific individuals and 
organizations will be necessarily limited due to time constraints 
during the public meeting, stakeholders may submit electronic or 
written comments discussing any issues of concern to the administrative 
record (the docket) for the rulemaking. All relevant data and 
documentation should be submitted with the comments to the relevant 
docket i.e., FSVP, Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0143, or accreditation of 
third-party auditors, Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0146.
    Table 1 of this document provides information on participation in 
the public meetings:

   Table 1--Information on Participation in the Meetings and on Submitting Comments to the Rulemaking Dockets
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Date          Electronic address         Address       Other information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Public meeting.................  October 10, 2013,                          Hyatt Regency      Onsite
                                  from 8:30 a.m.                             Miami, 400 SE      registration
                                  to 5 p.m. and                              Second Ave.,       both days from 8
                                  October 11,                                Miami, FL 33131.   a.m.-8:30 a.m.
                                  2013, from 8:30
                                  a.m. to 12:30
                                  p.m.
Advance registration...........  by October 1,      Individuals who wish    We encourage you   There is no
                                  2013.              to participate in       to use             registration fee
                                                     person are asked to     electronic         for the public
                                                     preregister at https://  registration if    meetings. Early
                                                     www.fda.gov/Food/       possible \1\.      registration is
                                                     NewsEvents/                                recommended
                                                     WorkshopsMeetingsConf                      because seating
                                                     erences/default.htm.                       is limited.

[[Page 57322]]

 
Request to make a Public         by September 24,   https://www.fda.gov/                        Requests made on
 Comment.                         2013.              Food/NewsEvents/                           the day of the
                                                     WorkshopsMeetingsConf                      meeting to make
                                                     erences/default.htm                        an oral
                                                     \2\.                                       presentation
                                                                                                will be granted
                                                                                                as time permits.
                                                                                                Information on
                                                                                                requests to make
                                                                                                an oral
                                                                                                presentation may
                                                                                                be posted
                                                                                                without change
                                                                                                to https://www.regulations.gov gov, including
                                                                                                any personal
                                                                                                information
                                                                                                provided.
Request special accommodations   by September 24,   Juanita Yates, email:   See FOR FURTHER    .................
 due to a disability.             2013.              juanita.yates@fda.hhs   INFORMATION
                                                     .gov.                   CONTACT.
Submit electronic or written     November 26, 2013  Docket Nos. FDA-2011-N-
 comments.                                           0143 and FDA-2011-N-
                                                     0146.
Public meeting.................  October 22, 2013,                          Hilton Long Beach  Onsite
                                  from 8:30 a.m.                             & Executive        registration
                                  to 5 p.m. and                              Meeting Center,    both days from 8
                                  October 23,                                701 West Ocean     a.m.-8:30 a.m.
                                  2013, from 8:30                            Blvd., Long
                                  a.m. to 12:30                              Beach, CA 90831.
                                  p.m..
Advance registration...........  by October 8,      Individuals who wish    We encourage you   There is no
                                  2013.              to participate in       to use             registration fee
                                                     person are asked to     electronic         for the public
                                                     preregister at https://  registration if    meetings. Early
                                                     www.fda.gov/Food/       possible \1\.      registration is
                                                     NewsEvents/                                recommended
                                                     WorkshopsMeetingsConf                      because seating
                                                     erences/default.htm.                       is limited.
Request to make a Public         by October 1,      https://www.fda.gov/                        Requests made on
 Comment.                         2013.              Food/NewsEvents/                           the day of the
                                                     WorkshopsMeetingsConf                      meeting to make
                                                     erences/default.htm                        an oral
                                                     \2\.                                       presentation
                                                                                                will be granted
                                                                                                as time permits.
                                                                                                Information on
                                                                                                requests to make
                                                                                                an oral
                                                                                                presentation may
                                                                                                be posted
                                                                                                without change
                                                                                                to https://www.regulations.gov gov, including
                                                                                                any personal
                                                                                                information
                                                                                                provided.
Request special accommodations   by October 1,      Juanita Yates, e-mail:  See FOR FURTHER
 due to a disability.             2013.              juanita.yates@fda.hhs   INFORMATION
                                                     .gov.                   CONTACT.
Submit electronic or written     November 26th,     Docket Nos. FDA-2011-N-
 comments.                        2013.              0143 and FDA-2011-N-
                                                     0146.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ You may also register via email, mail, or FAX. Please include your name, title, firm name, address, and
  phone and FAX numbers in your registration information and send to: Lauren Montgomery, Teya Technologies, LLC,
  101 East 9th Ave., Suite 9B, Anchorage, Alaska 99501, 443-833-4297, FAX: 907-562-5497, email:
  lauren.montgomery@teyatech.com. Onsite registration will also be available.
\2\ You may also request to make an oral presentation at the public meeting via email. Please include your name,
  title, firm name, address, and phone and FAX numbers as well as the full text, comprehensive outline, or
  summary of your oral presentation and send to: Juanita Yates, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition,
  Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740, 240-402-1731, email:
  juanita.yates@fda.hhs.gov.

III. Comments, Transcripts, and Recorded Video

    Information and data submitted voluntarily to FDA during the public 
meeting will become part of the administrative record for the relevant 
rulemaking and will be accessible to the public at https://www.regulations.gov. The transcript of the proceedings from the public 
meeting will become part of the administrative record for each of the 
rulemakings. Please be advised that as soon as a transcript is 
available, it will be accessible at https://www.regulations.gov and at 
FDA's FSMA Web site at: https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/default.htm. It may also be viewed at the Division of Dockets 
Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, 
Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. A 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 the Division of 
Freedom of Information (ELEM-1029), 12420 Parklawn Dr., Element Bldg., 
Rockville, MD 20857.


[[Page 57323]]


    Dated: September 12, 2013.
Leslie Kux,
Assistant Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2013-22655 Filed 9-17-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-P
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