[Federal Register: June 10, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 111)]
[Notices]
[Page 34614-34615]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10jn03-69]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. 2003N-0224]
Premarket Notification for Food Contact Substances; Public
Meeting
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the
following public meeting: FDA Workshop on the Notification Process for
Food Contact Substances. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the
food contact notification (FCN) process so that notifiers and/or their
representatives, consumer interest groups, and other interested members
of the general public can have a better understanding of the FCN
process, the information requirements of an FCN, and the common
deficiencies to be avoided.
DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 25, 2003, from 11:30
a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151
East Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William J. Trotter, Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-275), Food and Drug Administration,
5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740, 202-418-3088, FAX:
202-418-3131, or e-mail: wjt@cfsan.fda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
In November 1997, Congress passed the Food and Drug Administration
Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA). Section 309 of FDAMA amended section
409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the act) (21 U.S.C.
348) to establish a notification process for food contact substances
(FCSs). An FCS is defined as ``any substance intended for use as a
component of materials used in manufacturing, packing, packaging,
transporting, or holding food if such use is not intended to have a
technical effect in such food'' (21 U.S.C. 348(h)(6)). The FCN process
is used to authorize the marketing of an FCS except where the Secretary
determines that submission of a food additive petition is necessary or
the Secretary and a manufacturer or supplier agree that a food additive
petition may be submitted (21 U.S.C. 348(h)(3)(A)).
Under 21 U.S.C. 348(h), the notification process requires a
manufacturer or supplier of an FCS to notify FDA at least 120 days
prior to the introduction or delivery for introduction in interstate
commerce of an FCS. If FDA does not object to the notification within
120 days, the notification becomes effective (21 U.S.C. 348(h)(2)(A)),
and the substance may be legally marketed for the requested use by the
notifier (21 U.S.C. 348(a)(3)(B)).
In the Federal Register of May 21, 2002 (67 FR 35724), FDA
published a final rule amending the food additive regulations regarding
the premarket notification process for FCSs. The rule became effective
on June 20, 2002, and requires that a notification for an FCS contain
sufficient scientific information to demonstrate that the FCS that is
the subject of the notification is safe for the intended use (21 CFR
170.101). Since the inception of the FCN process in 1999, FDA has found
that FCNs frequently have deficiencies which cause them to be
incomplete. FDA is having this public meeting to discuss the data
requirements for an FCN and the commonly observed deficiencies and to
assist notifiers and/or their representatives in submitting adequate
and complete FCNs.
II. Registration and Written Questions
Persons interested in attending the June 25, 2003, meeting should
send their registration information (including name, title, business
affiliation, address, and telephone and fax number) to the contact
person (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). To expedite processing,
registration information may also be faxed to 202-418-3131 or e-mailed
to wjt@cfsan.fda.gov. There will be no registration charges for
attending the meeting. If you need special accommodations due to
disability, please notify the contact person by June 13, 2003.
III. Availability of Guidance Documents for FCNs
Administrative, chemistry, and toxicology guidance documents for
FCNs are available at the following Web site: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/[tilde
]dms/opa-notf.html.
IV. Agenda and Goals
FDA will present its recommendations for information necessary to
make an FCN adequate and complete. Topics to be presented will be
broadly divided among the general categories of administrative,
chemical, toxicological, and environmental information. The agenda will
include the following items:
(1) Administrative: guidance document, an overview of the review
process, common FCN deficiencies, Form 3480, confidentiality, one FCS
per FCN, and conditions under which a food additive petition should be
submitted;
(2) Chemical: guidance document, common FCN deficiencies,
approaches for determining migrant levels in food, estimated daily
intake, and cumulative estimated daily intake;
(3) Toxicological: guidance document, common FCN deficiencies,
acceptable daily intake, risk assessments, structure activity
relationships, and recommended testing; and
(4) Environmental: requirements, common FCN deficiencies,
categorical
[[Page 34615]]
exclusions, and requirements for an environmental assessment.
V. Comments
Written comments regarding the agenda may be submitted and should
be identified with the docket number found in brackets in the heading
of this document. Comments should be annotated and organized to
identify the specific issues to which they refer. These comments should
be submitted by June 13, 2003, to the Dockets Management Branch (HFA-
305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061,
Rockville, MD 20852. Comments may also be sent to the Dockets
Management Branch at the following e-mail address:
fdadockets@oc.fda.gov or via the FDA Web site at http://www.fda.gov.
Dated: June 5, 2003.
Jeffrey Shuren,
Assistant Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 03-14607 Filed 6-5-03; 2:50 pm]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-S