Federal Register: March 21, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 55) Notices Page 13589-13590 From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access wais.access.gpo.gov DOCID:fr21mr97-37 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food Safety and Inspection Service Docket No. 97-024N DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Food and Drug Administration Docket No. 97N-0074 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY President's National Food Safety Initiative AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS; Food and Page 13590 Drug Administration, HHS; Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice: Public meeting; establishment of public dockets. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and Research, Education, and Economics; The Department of Health and Human Services'' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will convene a meeting on March 31 to April 2, 1997, to discuss and develop for the President a comprehensive plan to reduce the annual incidence of foodborne illness by enhancing the safety of the nation's food supply. USDA and FDA are also establishing public dockets to receive comments about the President's Food Safety Initiative and the discussion draft and current thinking document made available on February 21, 1997. DATES: The meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on March 31; 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on April 1; and from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on April 2, 1997. Comments by April 4, 1997. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register for the meeting, contact Ms.Traci Phebus at (202) 501-7138, FAX (202) 501-7642, E-mail HACCP.Confer@USDA.GOV. Participants may reserve a 5-minute public comment period when they register. Space will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Participants should also select the breakout sessions they plan to attend when they register. For questions about the meeting or to obtain copies of the draft report, ``Food Safety From Farm to Table: A New Strategy for the 21st Century, Discussion Draft and Current Thinking, A National Food Safety Initiative,'' contact Mr. Charles Danner, FSIS, at (202) 501-7136 or Ms. Karen Carson, FDA, at (202) 205-5140. Copies of the draft report also are available from the following: FSIS at http://www.usda.gov/fsis or FDA at http:// vm.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html or CDC at http://cdc.gov/ncidod/food.htm. Participants who require a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations should contact Ms. Jennifer Callahan at (202) 501-7138 by March 24. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 25, 1997, the President directed the Secretaries of USDA and HHS and the Administrator of EPA to work with consumers, producers, industry, States, Tribes, universities, and the public to identify ways to further improve the safety of our food supply. The President requested that the plan focus on ``* * * further improvement of surveillance, inspection, research, risk assessment, education, and coordination among local, State, and Federal health authorities.'' On March 5, 1997, the first public meeting was held to discuss the initiative and the issues identified by food safety experts in the draft report. All attendees received a copy of the draft report and were encouraged to review the document and develop recommendations related to the seven topic areas: surveillance, risk assessment, research, inspection, education, and coordination, and strategic planning to be presented at the March 31 meeting. The March 31 session will feature a general session with time allotted for public comment followed by concurrent breakout sessions: Bioscience Research and Coordination; and an evening session on Strategic Planning. On April 1, concurrent breakout sessions will be held in the morning on Improving Risk Assessment Tools and Improving Food Safety Education and in the afternoon on New Early Warning System for Foodborne Illness and Maximizing Inspection to Support HACCP. The April 2 session will include reports from each of the seven breakout sessions and public comment. The agencies are also announcing the establishment of public dockets about the President's Food Safety Initiative and the discussion draft and current thinking docket made available on February 21, 1997 and are encouraging individuals to comment on the topics discussed at the March 5, 1997, meeting as well as those listed in this notice under Supplementary Information. The agencies are also urging individuals with comments on the seven topic areas of the draft report to submit these comments by March 28 to facilitate discussion in the breakout sessions. Submit written comments as follows: USDA/FSIS Hearing Clerk, Room 3806 South Building, Washington, DC 20250-3700 or Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 12420 Parklawn Drive, Room 1-23, Rockville, MD 20857. Comments are to be identified with the docket number. For those comments directed to USDA use Docket No. 97-024N; for comments directed to FDA, use Docket No. 97N-0074. Transcripts of the public meeting may be requested in writing from the Freedom of Information Office (HFI-35), Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 12A-16, Rockville, MD 20857, approximately 15 working days after the meeting at a cost of 10 cents per page. The transcript of the public meeting and all submitted comments will be available for public examination at the Dockets Management Branch (address above) between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Done at Washington, DC, on March 17, 1997. Thomas J. Billy, Administrator, Food Safety and Inspection Service. Fred R. Shank, Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration. Donald E. Shriber, Associate Director/Washington, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dana Minerva, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water, Environmental Protection Agency. FR Doc. 97-7155 Filed 3-18-97; 9:53 am BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P