80 FR 28930 - National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 97 (May 20, 2015)

This notice is announcing a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), that will be held on June 10, 2015, by audio conference call that is open to the public. The Committee will continue its discussions, from its November 17, 2014 meeting, on microbiological criteria as indicators of poor process control or insanitary conditions. After further discussion, the committee plans to adopt its final recommendations.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 97 (Wednesday, May 20, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28930-28931]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12192]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2015-0028]


National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice is announcing a meeting of the National Advisory 
Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), that will be 
held on June 10, 2015, by audio conference call that is open to the 
public. The Committee will continue its discussions, from its November 
17, 2014 meeting, on microbiological criteria as indicators of poor 
process control or insanitary conditions. After further discussion, the 
committee plans to adopt its final recommendations.

DATES: Wednesday, June 10, 2015.
    Time: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. E.S.T.
    Call-in Phone Number: The June 10, 2015, meeting will be held by 
telephone. The call-in number for the audio conference will be provided 
after registration is completed. Please contact Karen Thomas-Sharp at 
the address, telephone or fax numbers below to register for the 
meeting: USDA, FSIS, Office of Public Health Science, Stop 3777, 
Patriots Plaza 3, Floor 9, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20250, or by phone (202) 690-6620, fax (202) 690-6334, or email: 
[email protected].
    All documents related to the full Committee meeting will be 
available for public inspection in the FSIS Docket Room, USDA, at 
Patriots Plaza 3, 355 E. Street SW., Room 8-164, Washington, DC 20250 
between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, as soon as they 
become available. The NACMCF documents also will be available on the 
Internet at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register/federal-register-notices.
    FSIS will finalize the agenda on or before the date of the meeting 
and will post it on the FSIS Web page at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/meetings. Please note that the meeting time 
schedule is subject to change due to the time required for Committee 
discussions; thus, sessions could end earlier or later than 
anticipated. Please plan accordingly if you would like to attend or 
participate in a public comment period.
    The official meeting minutes of the June 10, 2015 full Committee 
meeting, when they become available, will be located in the FSIS Docket 
Room at the above address and also will be posted on http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/nacmcf/meetings/nacmcf-meetings.
    Further Information for Participants: Persons interested in 
registering for the audio conference, making a presentation, submitting 
technical papers, or providing comments at the June 10, 2015 plenary 
session should contact Karen Thomas-Sharp, phone (202) 690-6620, fax 
(202) 690-6334, email: [email protected] or at the 
mailing address above. Persons requiring special accommodations for 
this phone conference (voice and TTY) should notify Ms. Thomas-Sharp by 
June 5, 2015.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The NACMCF was established in 1988 in response to a recommendation 
of the National Academy of Sciences for an interagency approach to 
microbiological criteria for foods and in response to a recommendation 
of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, as 
expressed in the Rural Development, Agriculture, and Related Agencies 
Appropriation Bill for fiscal year 1988. The charter for the NACMCF is 
available on the FSIS Web page at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/nacmcf/committee-charter/charter.
    The NACMCF provides scientific advice and recommendations to the 
Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
on issues related to the safety and wholesomeness of the U.S. food 
supply, including development of microbiological criteria, as well as 
the review and evaluation of epidemiological and risk assessment data 
and methodologies for assessing microbiological hazards in foods. The 
Committee also provides scientific advice and recommendations to the 
Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, and the Departments of Commerce and Defense.
    Mr. Brian Ronholm, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA, is 
the Committee Chair; Dr. Susan T. Mayne, Director of the Food and Drug 
Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), 
is the Vice-Chair; and Dr. James Rogers, FSIS, is the Executive 
Secretary.

[[Page 28931]]

Documents Reviewed by NACMCF

    FSIS will make all materials reviewed and considered by NACMCF 
regarding its deliberations available to the public. Generally, these 
materials will be made available as soon as possible after the full 
Committee meeting. Further, FSIS intends to make these materials 
available in electronic format on the FSIS Web page 
(www.fsis.usda.gov), as well as in hard copy format in the FSIS Docket 
Room. Often, an attempt is made to make the materials available at the 
start of the full Committee meeting when sufficient time is allowed in 
advance to do so.
    Disclaimer: NACMCF documents and comments posted on the FSIS Web 
site are electronic conversions from a variety of source formats. In 
some cases, document conversion may result in character translation or 
formatting errors. The original document is the official, legal copy.
    In order to meet the electronic and information technology 
accessibility standards in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, 
NACMCF may add alternate text descriptors for non-text elements 
(graphs, charts, tables, multimedia, etc.). These modifications only 
affect the Internet copies of the documents.
    Copyrighted documents will not be posted on the FSIS Web site, but 
will be available for inspection in the FSIS Docket Room.

Additional Public Notification

    FSIS will announce this notice online through the FSIS Web page 
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register/federal-register-notices.
    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 constituents and 
stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free 
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups, 
consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals 
who have asked to be included. The Update also is available on the FSIS 
Web page. In addition, FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription 
service, which provides automatic and customized access to selected 
food safety news and information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/programs-and-services/email-subscription-service. Options range from recalls to export information 
to regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or delete 
subscriptions themselves and have the option to password protect their 
accounts.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

    USDA prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities 
on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, 
disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or 
family status (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).
    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication of program information (Braille, large print, and 
audiotape) should contact USDA's Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice 
and TTY).
    To file a written complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office 
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue 
SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TTY). 
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

    Done at Washington, DC, on: May 15, 2015.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2015-12192 Filed 5-19-15; 8:45 am]
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