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November 19, 2003
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FDA has posted a Talk Paper on its website with reminders and tips to prevent foodborne illnesses during the upcoming holidays. To avoid the risk of foodborne illnesses, FDA encourages consumers to pay special attention to the handling and preparation of foods during this time. Although foodborne disease outbreaks are not common during this time of year, people at the highest risk of being affected by foodborne illness-the elderly, children, and individuals with weakened immune systems, including pregnant women-should be mindful of the potential risks.
Because holidays present a number of unique food safety challenges, consumers should take appropriate precautions in handling, preparing and cooking foods to ensure that the holiday foods are not only delicious but also safe. The complete Talk Paper is available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/tpholid.html.
FDA will hold a public meeting on "Relative Risk to Public Health From Foodborne Listeria Monocytogenes Among Selected Categories of Ready-to-Eat Foods; Quantitative Risk Assessment and Risk Management Action Plan." The meeting will be December 4 at FDA's Harvey W. Wiley Building in College Park, Maryland. Information will be presented relative to the risk management action plan that has been updated in light of the results of the risk assessment, which was conducted by FDA in cooperation with the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of USDA and in consultation with CDC. The notice of availability of the risk assessment was published in the Federal Register on October 24, 2003. The public meeting is intended to provide clarification about the results of the risk assessment and information as to how the risk assessment may be utilized. Stakeholders will have an opportunity to ask questions about the risk assessment and the risk management action plan. The Federal Register notice of the meeting is at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr03117b.html.
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Food Safety and Security Staff E-mail: |
Office Number: (301) 436-2277· FAX (301) 436-2605 CFSAN Web site: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/ |
