National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods to Hold Public Meetings
Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Peggy Riek
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2007 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today that the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria
for Foods (NACMCF) will hold public meetings from Sept. 24-28, 2007.
The committee will discuss the assessment of the food safety importance of Mycobacterium avium subspecies
paratuberculosis, determination of the most appropriate technologies for the FSIS to adopt in
performing routine and baseline microbiological analyses, and parameters for inoculated pack-challenge study
protocols.
The full committee will meet on Friday, Sept. 28, from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., in the conference room at
the south end of the cafeteria located in the USDA South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C.
The subcommittee on Assessment of the Food Safety Importance of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis
will meet on Monday, Sept. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The subcommittee on Determination of the Most Appropriate
Technologies for the FSIS to Adopt in Performing Routine and Baseline Microbiological Analyses will meet on
Monday, Sept. 24, from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., and on Tuesday, Sept. 25, and Wednesday, Sept. 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The subcommittee on Parameters for Inoculated Pack-Challenge Study Protocols will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 26, and
Thursday, Sept. 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All subcommittee meetings will meet at the Aerospace Center, 901
D Street, SW, Rooms 369-371, Washington, D.C.
The NACMCF was established in 1988 to provide scientific advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture
and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on public issues related to the safety and wholesomeness of the
U.S. food supply. These issues include the development of microbiological criteria and review and evaluation
of epidemiological and risk assessment data and methodologies for assessing microbiological hazards in foods.
The committee also provides scientific advice and recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the Departments of Commerce and Defense.
For further information, contact Karen Thomas-Sharp, U.S. Department of Agriculture, FSIS, Office of Public
Health Science, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, 333 Aerospace Center, Washington, D.C. 20250, by phone (202) 690-6620,
or e-mail Karen.Thomas-Sharp@fsis.usda.gov.
Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations should notify Mrs. Thomas-Sharp by Sept. 17.
