FDA and USDA to Hold June 23 Meeting on Listeria monocytogenes Risk Assessment

June 9, 2009

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA/CFSAN) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS) announced in today's Federal Register (74 FR 27276) that they are holding a public meeting on Tuesday, June 23, in Washington, D.C., to inform stakeholders about issues concerning the recently initiated FDA-USDA interagency risk assessment of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.

The purpose of the interagency Listeria monocytogenes risk assessment is to determine the effect on public health of current industry practices and potential interventions to reduce or prevent Listeria monocytogenes contamination in some ready-to-eat foods that are sliced, prepared or packaged in retail facilities.

At the meeting, CFSAN and FSIS officials will present information on the background, approach, scope, and data needs for the assessment, as well as hear comments from interested parties.

FDA and FSIS invite interested individuals, organizations, and other stakeholders to participate in the meeting.

The June 23rd meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, D.C.

Pre-registration for this meeting is encouraged. To pre-register, interested parties can see http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WorkshopsMeetingsConferences/.

FDA and FSIS also invite interested persons and organizations to submit comments on the risk assessment, regardless of whether or not they attend the June 23 meeting. Instructions for submitting comments are included in the Federal Register notice (74 FR 27276).