Department of Agriculture July 8, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), are sponsoring a public meeting on August 12, 2014. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions to be discussed at the 27th Session of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from September 8- 12, 2014. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and the Agricultural Marketing Service recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 27th Session of CCPFV and to address items on the agenda.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting nominations for membership on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). There are 7 vacancies. Advisory Committee members serve a two-year term, renewable for two consecutive terms. USDA is seeking NACMCF members with scientific expertise in the fields of epidemiology, food technology, microbiology (food, clinical, and predictive), toxicology, risk assessment, infectious disease, biostatistics, and other related sciences. USDA is seeking nominations for NACMCF from persons in academia, industry, State governments, and the Federal Government, as well as all other interested persons with the required experience. Please note that federally registered lobbyists cannot be considered for USDA advisory committee membership. USDA is also seeking nominations for one individual affiliated with a consumer group to serve on the NACMCF. This member will serve as a representative member to provide a consumer viewpoint. This member will not be required to have a scientific background and will not be subject to conflict of interest review. Members can serve on only one USDA advisory committee at a time. All nominees will undergo a USDA background check. With the exception of the consumer representative member, any member who is not a Federal government employee will be appointed to serve as a non-compensated special government employee (SGE). SGEs will be subject to appropriate conflict of interest statutes and standards of ethical conduct. Nominations for membership on the NACMCF must be addressed to the Secretary of USDA and accompanied by a cover letter announcing the nomination, a resume or curriculum vitae, and a completed USDA Advisory Committee Membership Background Information form AD-755 available online at: https://www.ocio.usda.gov/forms/doc/AD-755.pdf. A nomination may be a self-nomination or a nomination on behalf of someone else. The resume or curriculum vitae must be limited to five one-sided pages and should include educational background, expertise, and a list of select publications, if available. For submissions received that are more than five one-sided pages in length, only the first five pages will be reviewed.

We are advising the public that we have prepared pest risk analyses that evaluate the risks associated with importation of chipilin leaves and edible flowers of chufle, izote, and pacaya from Guatemala into the continental United States. Based on these analyses, we have determined that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the movement of chipilin leaves and edible flowers of chufle, izote, and pacaya from Guatemala. We are making these documents available to the public for review and comment.