[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 158 (Friday, August 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49619-49621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-17827]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2020-0025]
Salmonella--State of the Science
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notification of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is hosting a
virtual public meeting with participation from the Agricultural
Research Service (ARS), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). FSIS will
discuss the Agency's commitment to reducing Salmonella contamination
associated with FSIS-regulated products and thus saving lives, by
leading with science, building relationships, and influencing behavior
change. Industry, interested individuals, organizations, and other
stakeholders are invited to participate in the meeting and to comment
on the data and science that drive FSIS Salmonella reduction efforts.
DATES: The virtual public meeting will be held on Tuesday, September
22, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. EST. Submit comments on or before
September 25, 2020.
ADDRESSES: The meeting is virtual and will be viewed via the web-ex
link provided by email when you register for the meeting. Attendees
must be pre-registered for the meeting. See the pre-registration
instructions under ``Registration and Meeting Materials.''
Comments on this notice may be submitted by one of the following
methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: This website provides commenters the
ability to type short comments directly into the comment field on the
web page or to attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for
submitting comments.
Mail, including CD-ROMs, etc.: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Room 6065, Washington, DC 20250-
3700.
Hand- or courier-delivered submittals: Deliver to 1400 Independence
Avenue SW, Room 6065, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must
include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2020-0025. Comments
received in response to this docket will be made available for public
inspection and posted without change, including any personal
information, to http://www.regulations.gov.
Docket: For access to background documents or comments received,
email [email protected] or call 202-692-4235 to schedule a time to
visit the FSIS Docket Room at 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065,
Washington, DC 20250-3700.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Email Congressional and Public Affairs
at [email protected]. Attendees requiring a sign language interpreter or
other special accommodations should notify Evelyn Arce by calling 202-
418-8903 or emailing [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The daily work of implementing the Federal Meat Inspection Act
(FMIA), Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), and the Egg Products
Inspection Act (EPIA) is carried out by FSIS inspectors in over 6,500
establishments across the country. Although not always apparent to the
public, there are many other components of the Agency that support the
work of the field personnel in addressing foodborne pathogens. While
the scope of FSIS authority to enforce FMIA, PPIA, and EPIA is centered
on the meat, poultry, and egg products industries, the activities of
the Agency drive change along the entire farm-to-fork continuum to
protect our food supply. Food safety is a shared responsibility, and
FSIS, in partnership with the greater food safety community ensures
that safe and wholesome foods are on our dinner table and in our
restaurants, schools, and institutions every day.
FSIS aggressively targets all foodborne pathogens of importance
within their regulatory authority, including Salmonella. As food safety
challenges evolve, FSIS will use the latest science and data to
modernize inspection systems, laboratory and sampling methods, and
communications to protect public health and meet consumers' needs. FSIS
is focused on improving the Agency's ability to predict, detect, and
reduce pathogens while encouraging industry to adopt the latest
technology and innovations to produce a safer product. At the same
time, FSIS is working to ensure that
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consumers are empowered with information on how to safely handle, cook,
and store food.
Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne illness, and outbreaks
of Salmonella illness have been linked to poultry, pork, and beef
products. Using outbreak data through 2017, the Interagency Food Safety
Analytics Collaboration estimates that approximately 38 percent of
foodborne salmonellosis in the United States can be attributed to meat
and poultry products.\1\ These data highlight that FSIS plays an
important role in helping achieve national public health goals aimed at
reducing foodborne illness caused by Salmonella. Although findings from
a recent analysis of FSIS data show that there has been an overall
reduction in the occurrence of Salmonella on meat and poultry products
over the past 20 years,\2\ there is still more work to be done. The
food safety community did not meet the 2020 national public health goal
for reduction of Salmonella illnesses, and FSIS remains committed to
working toward achieving the Healthy People \3\ target set for 2030.
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\1\ Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration. Foodborne
illness source attribution estimates for 2017 for Salmonella,
Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter
using multi-year outbreak surveillance data, United States. GA and
DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, FDA, USDA-
FSIS. 2019.
\2\ Williams et al. 2020. Changes in Salmonella Contamination in
Meat and Poultry Since the Introduction of the Pathogen Reduction:
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Rule. Accepted for
Publication. Journal of Food Protection (early view) https://doi.org/10.4315/JFP-20-126.
\3\ https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/food-safety.
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Public Meeting
FSIS is announcing that it will hold a virtual public meeting on
September 22, 2020, to discuss issues related to the foodborne pathogen
Salmonella. At this meeting, FSIS will present its Roadmap to Reducing
Salmonella, which describes how FSIS advances programs and policies
that are science-based, data-driven, and promote innovation to reduce
Salmonella and other pathogens in meat, poultry, and egg products. The
roadmap describes current FSIS programs and future activities to drive
progress toward meeting the Healthy People 2030 public health goals.
FSIS, with speakers from ARS, FDA, and CDC, will highlight some of
these efforts and describe the science and data that supports them. An
agenda will be published online before the public meeting. FSIS will
finalize the agenda on or before the meeting dates and post it on the
FSIS website at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/meetings. Topics will
include:
Salmonella presence in FSIS regulated products;
Modernization of inspection systems;
The role of FSIS Laboratories and sampling methods to
reduce Salmonella in FSIS regulated products;
Salmonella performance standards;
Consumer research and education; and
Future scientific strategies for controlling Salmonella
Registration and Meeting Materials
There is no fee to register for the public meeting, but pre-
registration is mandatory for participants attending. All attendees
must register online at https://ems8.intellor.com/?p=831058&do=register&t=6, after which they will receive an email
acknowledging their registration. Stakeholders who wish to speak at the
meeting must notify FSIS during registration.
Public Comments and Participation in Meetings
Public Comments: Oral Comments
Stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide oral comments
during the public meeting. As mentioned above, stakeholders must notify
FSIS during registration of their wish to speak at the meeting.
Stakeholders who do not notify FSIS during registration of their wish
to speak will not have the opportunity to comment on the day of the
public meeting. Due to the anticipated high level of interest in the
opportunity to make public comments and the limited time available to
do so, FSIS will do its best to accommodate all persons who registered
and requested to provide oral comments, and will limit all speakers to
three minutes. FSIS encourages persons and groups who have similar
interests to consolidate their information for presentation by a single
representative.
Public Questions
During the meeting, FSIS will host a roundtable discussion with
subject matter experts. Questions for the roundtable discussion panel
should be submitted in advance, to [email protected] by September 10, 2020.
Transcripts
As soon as the meeting transcripts are available, they will be
accessible on the FSIS website at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/meetings. The transcripts may also be viewed at the FSIS
Docket Room at the addressed listed above.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, FSIS will announce this Federal
Register publication online through the FSIS web page located at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
FSIS also will make copies of this 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 Constituent Update is available on the FSIS web page.
Through the web page, FSIS can provide information to a much broader,
more diverse audience. In addition, FSIS offers an email 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/subscribe. Options range from recalls to export
information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or
delete subscriptions themselves and have the option to password protect
their accounts.
USDA Non-Discrimination Statement
No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status,
income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs,
exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to
discrimination, any person in the United States under any program or
activity conducted by the USDA.
How To File a Complaint of Discrimination
To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at: http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you or your
authorized representative.
Send your completed complaint form or letter to USDA by mail, fax,
or email:
Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of
Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410.
Fax: (202) 690-7442.
Email: [email protected].
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication
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(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should contact USDA's TARGET
Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
Done at Washington, DC.
Theresa Nintemann,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2020-17827 Filed 8-13-20; 8:45 am]
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