Reducing Microbial Food Safety Hazards in the Production of Seed for Sprouting: Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability, 29867-29869 [2019-13433]
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29867
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 122 / Tuesday, June 25, 2019 / Notices
packaging, and storing of veterinary
drugs and drug substances. Information
submitted to FDA through a veterinary
master file could also include drug
characterization, methods, protocols, or
other relevant information. In this
request for OMB review, we seek
approval of an increased use of
veterinary master files by respondents to
submit additional information to us for
review and consultation during all
phases of animal drug product
development (including product
development that precedes the
establishment of an INAD file or the
submission of a NADA). To account for
an expected increase in reporting
burden hours associated with the
increased use of veterinary master files
by respondents, we are separately
estimating in table 1, row 10, the burden
of the use of veterinary master files
during all phases of product
development (including product
development that precedes the
establishment of an INAD file or the
submission of a NADA).
Finally, § 558.5(i) of our regulations
(21 CFR 558.5(i)) describes the
procedure for requesting a waiver of the
labeling requirements of § 558.5(h) in
the event that there is evidence to
indicate that it is unlikely a new animal
drug would be used in the manufacture
of a liquid medicated feed.
The reporting associated with NADAs
and related submissions is necessary to
ensure that new animal drugs are in
compliance with section 512(b)(1) of the
FD&C Act. We use the information
collected to review the data, labeling,
and manufacturing controls and
procedures to evaluate the safety and
effectiveness of the proposed new
animal drug.
Description of Respondents:
Respondents include persons
developing, manufacturing, and/or
researching new animal drugs.
In the Federal Register of February
15, 2019 (84 FR 4479), FDA published
a 60-day notice requesting public
comment on the proposed collection of
information. No comments were
received.
FDA estimates the burden of this
collection of information as follows:
TABLE 1—ESTIMATED ANNUAL REPORTING BURDEN 1
Number of
respondents
21 CFR section; activity
514.1 & 514.6; applications and amended applications ......
514.1(b)(8) and 514.8(c)(1) 2; evidence to establish safety
and effectiveness .............................................................
514.5(b), (d), (f); requesting presubmission conferences ...
514.8(b); manufacturing changes to an approved application ....................................................................................
514.8(c)(1); labeling and other changes to an approved
application ........................................................................
514.8(c)(2) & (3); labeling and other changes to an approved application ............................................................
514.11; submission of data, studies and other information
558.5(i); requirements for liquid medicated feed .................
Form FDA 356V ...................................................................
Use of veterinary master files during all phases of product
development (including product development that precedes the establishment of an INAD file or the submission of an NADA) .............................................................
Total ..............................................................................
Number of
responses per
respondent
Average
burden per
response
Total annual
responses
Total hours
182
0.05
9
212
1,908
182
182
0.10
0.49
18
89
90
50
1,620
4,450
182
1.40
255
35
8,925
182
0.05
9
71
639
182
182
182
182
0.43
0.09
0.01
2.92
78
16
2
531
20
1
5
5
1,560
16
10
2,655
15
1
15
20
300
........................
........................
1,022
........................
22,083
1 There
are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of information.
and supplements regarding antimicrobial animal drugs that use a recommended approach to assessing antimicrobial concerns as
part of the overall pre-approval safety evaluation.
khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
2 NADAs
Based on a review of the information
collection since our last request for
OMB approval, we have made no
adjustments to our previous estimates.
However, as discussed, we have
separately estimated the burden of the
‘‘Use of veterinary master files during
all phases of product development
(including product development that
precedes the establishment of an INAD
file or the submission of an NADA)’’ in
table 1, line 10. We base our estimate of
the total annual responses for the use of
veterinary master files on such uses
initiated during calendar year 2018. We
base our estimate of the hours per
response upon our experience with the
respondents’ use of veterinary master
files. We estimate that the time it takes
to compile information and submit it to
a veterinary master file will vary from
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:35 Jun 24, 2019
Jkt 247001
1 to 50 hours depending on the
complexity of the information;
therefore, we are estimating on average
the burden per response to be 20 hours.
Accordingly, our estimated burden for
the information collection reflects an
overall increase of 124 hours and a
corresponding increase of 14 responses.
Dated: June 19, 2019.
Lowell J. Schiller,
Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. FDA–2018–D–4534]
Reducing Microbial Food Safety
Hazards in the Production of Seed for
Sprouting: Draft Guidance for Industry;
Availability
AGENCY:
[FR Doc. 2019–13430 Filed 6–24–19; 8:45 am]
HHS.
BILLING CODE 4164–01–P
ACTION:
PO 00000
Food and Drug Administration,
Notice of availability.
The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA or we) is
announcing the availability of a draft
guidance for industry entitled
‘‘Reducing Microbial Food Safety
Hazards in the Production of Seed for
SUMMARY:
Frm 00029
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\25JNN1.SGM
25JNN1
29868
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 122 / Tuesday, June 25, 2019 / Notices
Sprouting.’’ The draft guidance
document, when finalized, will make
the sprout seed industry (seed growers,
conditioners, packers, holders,
suppliers, and distributors) aware of
FDA’s serious concern with the
continuing outbreaks of foodborne
illness associated with the consumption
of raw and lightly-cooked sprouts and
provide FDA’s recommendations to
firms throughout the production chain
of seed for sprouting.
DATES: Submit either electronic or
written comments on the draft guidance
by August 26, 2019 to ensure that FDA
considers your comment on the draft
guidance before it begins work on the
final version of the guidance.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on any guidance at any time as follows:
Electronic Submissions
Submit electronic comments in the
following way:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal:
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Comments submitted electronically,
including attachments, to https://
www.regulations.gov will be posted to
the docket unchanged. Because your
comment will be made public, you are
solely responsible for ensuring that your
comment does not include any
confidential information that you or a
third party may not wish to be posted,
such as medical information, your or
anyone else’s Social Security number, or
confidential business information, such
as a manufacturing process. Please note
that if you include your name, contact
information, or other information that
identifies you in the body of your
comments, that information will be
posted on https://www.regulations.gov.
• If you want to submit a comment
with confidential information that you
do not wish to be made available to the
public, submit the comment as a
written/paper submission and in the
manner detailed (see ‘‘Written/Paper
Submissions’’ and ‘‘Instructions’’).
khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Written/Paper Submissions
Submit written/paper submissions as
follows:
• Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier (for
written/paper submissions): Dockets
Management Staff (HFA–305), Food and
Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers
Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
• For written/paper comments
submitted to the Dockets Management
Staff, FDA will post your comment, as
well as any attachments, except for
information submitted, marked and
identified, as confidential, if submitted
as detailed in ‘‘Instructions.’’
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:35 Jun 24, 2019
Jkt 247001
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the Docket No. FDA–
2018–D–4534 for ‘‘Reducing Microbial
Food Safety Hazards in the Production
of Seed for Sprouting: Draft Guidance
for Industry.’’ Received comments will
be placed in the docket and, except for
those submitted as ‘‘Confidential
Submissions,’’ publicly viewable at
https://www.regulations.gov or at the
Dockets Management Staff between 9
a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through
Friday.
• Confidential Submissions—To
submit a comment with confidential
information that you do not wish to be
made publicly available, submit your
comments only as a written/paper
submission. You should submit two
copies total. One copy will include the
information you claim to be confidential
with a heading or cover note that states
‘‘THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.’’ We
will review this copy, including the
claimed confidential information, in our
consideration of comments. The second
copy, which will have the claimed
confidential information redacted/
blacked out, will be available for public
viewing and posted on https://
www.regulations.gov. Submit both
copies to the Dockets Management Staff.
If you do not wish your name and
contact information to be made publicly
available, you can provide this
information on the cover sheet and not
in the body of your comments and you
must identify this information as
‘‘confidential.’’ Any information marked
as ‘‘confidential’’ will not be disclosed
except in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20
and other applicable disclosure law. For
more information about FDA’s posting
of comments to public dockets, see 80
FR 56469, September 18, 2015, or access
the information at: https://www.gpo.gov/
fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-09-18/pdf/201523389.pdf.
Docket: For access to the docket to
read background documents or the
electronic and written/paper comments
received, go to https://
www.regulations.gov and insert the
docket number, found in brackets in the
heading of this document, into the
‘‘Search’’ box and follow the prompts
and/or go to the Dockets Management
Staff, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061,
Rockville, MD 20852.
You may submit comments on any
guidance at any time (see 21 CFR
10.115(g)(5)).
Submit written requests for single
copies of the draft guidance to the Office
of Food Safety, Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug
Administration, 5001 Campus Dr.,
College Park, MD 20740. Send two self-
PO 00000
Frm 00030
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
addressed adhesive labels to assist that
office in processing your request. See
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
for electronic access to the draft
guidance.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Patricia Homola, Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug
Administration, 5001 Campus Dr.,
College Park, MD 20740, 240–402–1700.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
We are announcing the availability of
a draft guidance for industry entitled
‘‘Reducing Microbial Food Safety
Hazards in the Production of Seed for
Sprouting.’’ The draft guidance, when
finalized, will make the sprout seed
industry (seed growers, conditioners,
packers, holders, suppliers, and
distributors) aware of our serious
concern with the continuing outbreaks
of foodborne illness associated with the
consumption of raw and lightly-cooked
sprouts and provide our
recommendations to firms throughout
the production chain of seed for
sprouting. In the development of the
draft guidance, we considered three
documents related to food safety and
hygienic production of seed for
sprouting: (1) The Codex Code of
Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and
Vegetables Annex II, Annex for Sprout
Production (Ref. 1); (2) the International
Sprout Growers Association—Institute
for Food Safety and Health’s ‘‘U.S.
Sprout Production Best Practices’’
(Section 2. Raw Material Sourcing) (Ref.
2); and (3) the European Sprouted Seeds
Association (ESSA) Hygiene Guideline
for the Production of Sprouts and Seeds
for Sprouting (Section 2. Production of
Seeds) (Ref. 3). We have incorporated
aspects of these documents that are
consistent with our laws and
regulations, as well as our existing
policies.
We are issuing the draft guidance
consistent with our good guidance
practice regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The
draft guidance, when finalized, will
represent our current thinking on this
topic. It does not establish any rights for
any person and is not binding on FDA
or the public. You can use an alternate
approach if it satisfies the requirements
of the applicable statutes and
regulations. This guidance is not subject
to Executive Order 12866.
II. Electronic Access
Persons with access to the internet
may obtain the draft guidance at either
https://www.fda.gov/FoodGuidances or
https://www.regulations.gov. Use the
FDA website listed in the previous
E:\FR\FM\25JNN1.SGM
25JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 122 / Tuesday, June 25, 2019 / Notices
sentence to find the most current
version of the guidance.
III. References
The following references are on
display at the Dockets Management Staff
(see ADDRESSES) and are available for
viewing by interested persons between
9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through
Friday; they are also available
electronically at https://
www.regulations.gov. FDA has verified
the website addresses, as of the date this
document publishes in the Federal
Register, but websites are subject to
change over time.
1. Codex ‘‘Code of Hygienic Practice
for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables,’’ CAC/
RCP 53–2003, Annex II, Annex for
Sprout Production, Revision 2010.
Retrieved from https://www.ifsh.iit.edu/
sites/ifsh/files/departments/ssa/pdfs/
codex2003_053e.pdf.
2. International Sprout Growers
Association—Institute for Food Safety
and Health’s ‘‘U.S. Sprout Production
Best Practices’’ (Section 2. Raw Material
Sourcing). Retrieved from https://
www.ifsh.iit.edu/us-sprout-industryproduction-best-practices.
3. Official Journal of the European
Union, ‘‘ESSA Hygiene Guideline for
the Production of Sprouts and Seeds for
Sprouting (2017/(220/03),’’ (Section 2.
Production of Seeds). Retrieved from
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/
EN/TXT/HTML/
?uri=CELEX:52017XX0708
(01)&from=EN.
Dated: June 19, 2019.
Lowell J. Schiller,
Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2019–13433 Filed 6–24–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services
Administration
Lists of Designated Primary Medical
Care, Mental Health, and Dental Health
Professional Shortage Areas
Health Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA), Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice.
khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
This notice informs the public
of the availability of the complete lists
of all geographic areas, population
groups, and facilities designated as
primary medical care, mental health,
and dental health professional shortage
areas (HPSAs) as of May 1, 2019. The
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:35 Jun 24, 2019
Jkt 247001
lists are available on HRSA’s HPSAFind
website.
ADDRESSES: Complete lists of HPSAs
designated as of May 1, 2019, are
available on the website at https://
data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/
shortage-areas. Frequently updated
information on HPSAs is available at
https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/shortagearea. Information on shortage
designations is available at https://
bhw.hrsa.gov/shortage-designation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information on the HPSA
designations listed on the website or to
request additional designation,
withdrawal, or reapplication for
designation, please contact Janelle D.
McCutchen, DHEd, MPH, CHES, Chief,
Shortage Designation Branch, Division
of Policy and Shortage Designation,
Bureau of Health Workforce, HRSA,
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11W14,
Rockville, Maryland 20857, sdb@
hrsa.gov or phone at (301) 594–5168.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 332 of the Public Health
Service (PHS) Act, 42 U.S.C. 254e,
provides that the Secretary shall
designate HPSAs based on criteria
established by regulation. HPSAs are
defined in section 332 to include (1)
urban and rural geographic areas with
shortages of health professionals, (2)
population groups with such shortages,
and (3) facilities with such shortages.
Section 332 further requires that the
Secretary annually publish lists of the
designated geographic areas, population
groups, and facilities. The lists of
HPSAs are to be reviewed at least
annually and revised as necessary.
Final regulations (42 CFR part 5) were
published in 1980 and include the
criteria for designating HPSAs. Criteria
were defined for seven health
professional types: Primary medical
care, dental, psychiatric, vision care,
podiatric, pharmacy, and veterinary
care. The criteria for correctional facility
HPSAs were revised and published on
March 2, 1989 (54 FR 8735). The criteria
for psychiatric HPSAs were expanded to
mental health HPSAs on January 22,
1992 (57 FR 2473). Currently funded
PHS Act programs use only the primary
medical care, mental health, or dental
HPSA designations.
HPSA designation offers potential
access to federal assistance. Public or
private nonprofit entities are eligible to
apply for assignment of National Health
Service Corps (NHSC) personnel to
provide primary medical care, mental
health, or dental health services in or to
these HPSAs. NHSC health
PO 00000
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29869
professionals enter into service
agreements to serve in federally
designated HPSAs. Entities with clinical
training sites located in HPSAs are
eligible to receive priority for certain
residency training program grants
administered by HRSA’s Bureau of
Health Workforce (BHW). Other federal
programs also utilize HPSA
designations. For example, under
authorities administered by the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
certain qualified providers in
geographic area HPSAs are eligible for
increased levels of Medicare
reimbursement.
Content and Format of Lists
The three lists of designated HPSAs
are available on the HRSA Data
Warehouse HPSAFind website and
include a snapshot of all geographic
areas, population groups, and facilities
that were designated HPSAs as of May
1, 2019. This notice incorporates the
most recent annual reviews of
designated HPSAs and supersedes the
HPSA lists published in the Federal
Register on July 2, 2018 (Federal
Register/Vol. 83, No. 127/Monday, July
2, 2018/Notices 30941).
In addition, all Indian Tribes that
meet the definition of such Tribes in the
Indian Health Care Improvement Act of
1976, 25 U.S.C. 1603(d), are
automatically designated as population
groups with primary medical care and
dental health professional shortages.
Further, the Health Care Safety Net
Amendments of 2002 provides
eligibility for automatic facility HPSA
designations for all federally qualified
health centers (FQHCs) and rural health
clinics that offer services regardless of
ability to pay. Specifically, these entities
include FQHCs funded under section
330 of the PHS Act, FQHC Look-Alikes,
and Tribal and urban Indian clinics
operating under the Indian SelfDetermination and Education Act of
1975 (25 U.S.C. 450) or the Indian
Health Care Improvement Act. All of
these entities identified by May 1, 2019
are included on this listing. Absence
from this list does not exclude them
from HPSA designation; facilities
eligible for automatic designation are
included in the database when they are
identified.
Each list of designated HPSAs is
arranged by state. Within each state, the
list is presented by county. If only a
portion (or portions) of a county is (are)
designated, a county is part of a larger
designated service area, or a population
group residing in a county or a facility
located in the county has been
designated, the name of the service area,
population group, or facility involved is
E:\FR\FM\25JNN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 122 (Tuesday, June 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29867-29869]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13433]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. FDA-2018-D-4534]
Reducing Microbial Food Safety Hazards in the Production of Seed
for Sprouting: Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing the
availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled ``Reducing
Microbial Food Safety Hazards in the Production of Seed for
[[Page 29868]]
Sprouting.'' The draft guidance document, when finalized, will make the
sprout seed industry (seed growers, conditioners, packers, holders,
suppliers, and distributors) aware of FDA's serious concern with the
continuing outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with the
consumption of raw and lightly-cooked sprouts and provide FDA's
recommendations to firms throughout the production chain of seed for
sprouting.
DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the draft
guidance by August 26, 2019 to ensure that FDA considers your comment
on the draft guidance before it begins work on the final version of the
guidance.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on any guidance at any time as
follows:
Electronic Submissions
Submit electronic comments in the following way:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted
electronically, including attachments, to https://www.regulations.gov
will be posted to the docket unchanged. Because your comment will be
made public, you are solely responsible for ensuring that your comment
does not include any confidential information that you or a third party
may not wish to be posted, such as medical information, your or anyone
else's Social Security number, or confidential business information,
such as a manufacturing process. Please note that if you include your
name, contact information, or other information that identifies you in
the body of your comments, that information will be posted on https://www.regulations.gov.
If you want to submit a comment with confidential
information that you do not wish to be made available to the public,
submit the comment as a written/paper submission and in the manner
detailed (see ``Written/Paper Submissions'' and ``Instructions'').
Written/Paper Submissions
Submit written/paper submissions as follows:
Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier (for written/paper
submissions): Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
For written/paper comments submitted to the Dockets
Management Staff, FDA will post your comment, as well as any
attachments, except for information submitted, marked and identified,
as confidential, if submitted as detailed in ``Instructions.''
Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket No.
FDA-2018-D-4534 for ``Reducing Microbial Food Safety Hazards in the
Production of Seed for Sprouting: Draft Guidance for Industry.''
Received comments will be placed in the docket and, except for those
submitted as ``Confidential Submissions,'' publicly viewable at https://www.regulations.gov or at the Dockets Management Staff between 9 a.m.
and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Confidential Submissions--To submit a comment with
confidential information that you do not wish to be made publicly
available, submit your comments only as a written/paper submission. You
should submit two copies total. One copy will include the information
you claim to be confidential with a heading or cover note that states
``THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.'' We will review
this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in our
consideration of comments. The second copy, which will have the claimed
confidential information redacted/blacked out, will be available for
public viewing and posted on https://www.regulations.gov. Submit both
copies to the Dockets Management Staff. If you do not wish your name
and contact information to be made publicly available, you can provide
this information on the cover sheet and not in the body of your
comments and you must identify this information as ``confidential.''
Any information marked as ``confidential'' will not be disclosed except
in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 and other applicable disclosure law.
For more information about FDA's posting of comments to public dockets,
see 80 FR 56469, September 18, 2015, or access the information at:
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-09-18/pdf/2015-23389.pdf.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov and insert the docket number, found in brackets in
the heading of this document, into the ``Search'' box and follow the
prompts and/or go to the Dockets Management Staff, 5630 Fishers Lane,
Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
You may submit comments on any guidance at any time (see 21 CFR
10.115(g)(5)).
Submit written requests for single copies of the draft guidance to
the Office of Food Safety, Center for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5001 Campus Dr., College Park,
MD 20740. Send two self-addressed adhesive labels to assist that office
in processing your request. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
for electronic access to the draft guidance.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Homola, Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5001 Campus
Dr., College Park, MD 20740, 240-402-1700.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
We are announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry
entitled ``Reducing Microbial Food Safety Hazards in the Production of
Seed for Sprouting.'' The draft guidance, when finalized, will make the
sprout seed industry (seed growers, conditioners, packers, holders,
suppliers, and distributors) aware of our serious concern with the
continuing outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with the
consumption of raw and lightly-cooked sprouts and provide our
recommendations to firms throughout the production chain of seed for
sprouting. In the development of the draft guidance, we considered
three documents related to food safety and hygienic production of seed
for sprouting: (1) The Codex Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits
and Vegetables Annex II, Annex for Sprout Production (Ref. 1); (2) the
International Sprout Growers Association--Institute for Food Safety and
Health's ``U.S. Sprout Production Best Practices'' (Section 2. Raw
Material Sourcing) (Ref. 2); and (3) the European Sprouted Seeds
Association (ESSA) Hygiene Guideline for the Production of Sprouts and
Seeds for Sprouting (Section 2. Production of Seeds) (Ref. 3). We have
incorporated aspects of these documents that are consistent with our
laws and regulations, as well as our existing policies.
We are issuing the draft guidance consistent with our good guidance
practice regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The draft guidance, when
finalized, will represent our current thinking on this topic. It does
not establish any rights for any person and is not binding on FDA or
the public. You can use an alternate approach if it satisfies the
requirements of the applicable statutes and regulations. This guidance
is not subject to Executive Order 12866.
II. Electronic Access
Persons with access to the internet may obtain the draft guidance
at either https://www.fda.gov/FoodGuidances or https://www.regulations.gov. Use the FDA website listed in the previous
[[Page 29869]]
sentence to find the most current version of the guidance.
III. References
The following references are on display at the Dockets Management
Staff (see ADDRESSES) and are available for viewing by interested
persons between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday; they are also
available electronically at https://www.regulations.gov. FDA has
verified the website addresses, as of the date this document publishes
in the Federal Register, but websites are subject to change over time.
1. Codex ``Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and
Vegetables,'' CAC/RCP 53-2003, Annex II, Annex for Sprout Production,
Revision 2010. Retrieved from https://www.ifsh.iit.edu/sites/ifsh/files/departments/ssa/pdfs/codex2003_053e.pdf.
2. International Sprout Growers Association--Institute for Food
Safety and Health's ``U.S. Sprout Production Best Practices'' (Section
2. Raw Material Sourcing). Retrieved from https://www.ifsh.iit.edu/us-sprout-industry-production-best-practices.
3. Official Journal of the European Union, ``ESSA Hygiene Guideline
for the Production of Sprouts and Seeds for Sprouting (2017/(220/03),''
(Section 2. Production of Seeds). Retrieved from https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52017XX0708(01)&from=EN.
Dated: June 19, 2019.
Lowell J. Schiller,
Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2019-13433 Filed 6-24-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P