[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80873-80875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33018]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2011-0028]
Food Source Attribution; Public Meeting
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), in
collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is hosting a public
meeting to discuss Federal efforts to advance tri-agency understanding
of food source attribution and develop harmonized food source
attribution estimates useful to informing targeted food safety
strategies. The public meeting will also introduce the Interagency Food
Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC), which was formed to collaborate
on analytic projects. The meeting will also serve as a platform to
introduce IFSAC's draft Strategic Plan. Foodborne illness attribution
was selected as the initial focus in light of the CDC foodborne illness
burden estimates released in 2011 and in response to stakeholder input
to develop a unified approach to attribution. FSIS, FDA, and CDC are
also interested in input from stakeholders regarding existing data and
methods for food source attribution in the United States and the
opportunities and challenges in implementing the IFSAC Strategic Plan.
[[Page 80874]]
DATES: The public meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 31, 2012,
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the South Building Cafeteria,
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 14th & Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20250. Non-USDA employees must enter through wing 2,
located at 12th and C Street SW. Attendees must provide a photo ID to
enter the building.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about registration, to
register orally, or to submit a notice of participation by mail, fax,
or by email: Courtney Treece, Planning Professionals, Ltd., 1210 W.
McDermott, Suite 111, Allen, TX 75013, telephone: (704) 258-4983, fax:
(469) 854-6992, email: ctreece@planningprofessionals.com.
For questions about the meeting, to request an opportunity to make
public comments, or to submit the full text, comprehensive outline or
summary of an oral presentation, contact: Juanita Yates, FDA, Center
for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, telephone: (240) 402-1731,
email: juanita.yates@fda.hhs.gov. To request special accommodations due
to a disability, contact Juanita Yates by January 25, 2012.
For logistical information about the meeting, contact Joan
Lindenberger, Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Education, FSIS,
telephone: (202) 720-6755, or by email at
joan.lindenberger@fsis.usda.gov.
For technical information about the meeting, contact Dr. David
Goldman, Assistant Administrator, Office of Public Health Science,
USDA, FSIS, telephone: (202) 690-6462, fax: (202) 690-6337, email:
David.Goldman@fsis.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Estimating the number of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths
caused by major foodborne pathogens is an important step in the
prioritization of disease control programs. Estimating the proportions
of these illnesses that are caused by specific food sources (food
source attribution) is a necessary additional step in measuring
progress toward public health goals resulting from food safety policies
and interventions. The number of illnesses and their food source
attribution are used together to inform strategic planning and policy
decisions to allocate Federal resources towards pressing public health
concerns.
Currently, work by Scallan et al (2011) \1\ provides estimates of
the annual number of foodborne illnesses caused by 31 major pathogens
and was informed by a variety of data sources. Estimating the most
common sources of these foodborne illnesses (food source attribution)
also relies on multiple data sources and analytic methods. Data from
foodborne outbreak investigations have always been an important source
of attribution information because many of these investigations
determine the specific food associated with illnesses. However, most
foodborne illness is not associated with detected outbreaks, and some
causes of foodborne illness, such as Toxoplasma and Campylobacter, are
never or rarely associated with foodborne outbreaks. Consequently,
additional data sources and analytic methods are needed to enhance food
source attribution estimates and inform their interpretation. These may
include studies of laboratory-confirmed illnesses, expert elicitations,
and risk assessments.
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\1\ Scallan E, Hoekstra RM, Angulo FJ, Tauxe RV, Widdowson M-A,
Roy SL, et al. Foodborne illness acquired in the United States--
major pathogens. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2011 Jan
[cited 11/15/2011]. http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/17/1/7.htm.
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In response to President Obama's Food Safety Working Group Key
Findings on ``Improved Organization of Federal Food Safety
Responsibilities,'' FSIS, FDA, and CDC formed IFSAC in February 2011 to
meet the crucial need for strengthening Federal collaboration by
addressing cross-cutting priorities for food safety data collection,
analysis, and use. Additionally, as a part of tri-Agency public
meetings on the development of feasible and effective food safety
performance metrics held in March, July, and October 2010, stakeholders
identified the need for the three Federal food safety agencies to work
together and harmonize food source attribution efforts. This includes
working jointly to advance the science and methods available for
estimating attribution. As a result, IFSAC chose food source
attribution as its first food safety analytical challenge.
The initial objective of IFSAC is the estimation of source
attribution of foodborne infections to specific foods and settings.
This includes the understanding that continuous improvements to data
and the analytic methods available for generating attribution estimates
will provide more accurate assessments of the attribution of foodborne
illnesses across the broad range of commodities and points in the food
safety chain. In Summer 2011, the three agencies worked together to
develop a cohesive description of specific needs related to food source
attribution, which includes both short-term needs such as developing
shared attribution estimates for decision-making, as well as long-term
needs that focus on plans for reducing the uncertainty, improving data
and analytic methods, and obtaining comprehensive estimates of
attribution that are informed by multiple data sources and analytic
approaches. These needs, and the strategy for meeting these needs, were
captured in the draft IFSAC Strategic Plan for Attribution.
In October 2011, this plan was reviewed by three food safety
experts independent of the U.S. government, who did not provide any
consensus recommendations or advice, and in November 2011, it was
presented to members of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
surveillance workgroup. IFSAC also sought advice from the FDA Risk
Communication Advisory Committee (RCAC) on August 15-16, 2011, on how
to best communicate to stakeholders on the evolving methodology and
complex data sources involved in food source attribution. Meeting
materials, transcripts and meeting minutes from the RCAC meeting on
August 15-16, 2011, are available at http://www.fda.gov/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/RiskCommunicationAdvisoryCommittee/ucm249108.htm. Based on the feedback
received on the Strategic Plan and communication challenges, IFSAC is
developing new strategies and communication materials to meet the needs
of the three agencies and food safety stakeholders.
The agencies will present the IFSAC Strategic Plan for Attribution
and will seek input on the opportunities and challenges to improve food
source attribution efforts in the United States. An agenda for the
meeting and the draft IFSAC Strategic Plan will be finalized on or
before the public meeting date and will be posted at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/meetings_&_events.
II. Registration
Due to limited space, FSIS encourages all persons who wish to
attend the meeting to register online at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/meetings_&_events by January 25, 2012.
III. Comments
Stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide oral comments.
Interested persons and organizations who desire an opportunity to make
an oral presentation during the time allotted for
[[Page 80875]]
public comments at the meeting are encouraged to register in advance by
January 9, 2012. Anyone registering to provide a public comment must
also provide a brief description of the comment and any material to be
used during the presentation by January 25, 2012.
In addition to this meeting, interested persons may submit comments
on or before March 1, 2012, using either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and
follow the online instructions at that site for submitting comments.
Mail, including CD-ROMS: Send to Docket Clerk, USDA, FSIS Docket
Room, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Patriots Plaza 3, Mailstop 3782,
Room 8-163A, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Hand- or courier-delivered items: Deliver to the Docket Clerk,
USDA, FSIS Docket Room at Patriots Plaza 3, 355 E. Street SW., Room 8-
164, Washington, DC 20250 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must
include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2011-0028. Comments
received in response to this docket will be made available for public
inspection and posted without change, including any personal
information, to http://www.regulations.gov.
Docket: For access to background documents or comments received, go
to the FSIS Docket Room at Patriots Plaza 3, 355 E. Street SW., Room 8-
164, Washington, DC 20250 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
IV. Transcripts
As soon as the meeting transcripts are available, they will be
accessible on the FSIS Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news/meetings_&_events. The transcripts may also be viewed at the FSIS
Docket Room at the address listed above.
Additional Public Notification
FSIS will announce this notice online through the FSIS Web page
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Federal_Register_Notices/index.asp.
FSIS will also make copies of this Federal Register publication
available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of information
that could affect or would be of interest to constituents and
stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups,
consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals
who have asked to be included. The Update is also available on the FSIS
Web page. In addition, FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription
service which provides automatic and customized access to selected food
safety news and information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Email_Subscription/. Options range
from recalls to export information to regulations, directives, and
notices. Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have
the option to password protect their accounts.
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on
the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age,
disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or
family status (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication of program information (Braille, large print, and
audiotape) should contact USDA's Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice
and TTY).
To file a written complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TTY).
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Done at Washington, DC on December 19, 2011.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2011-33018 Filed 12-23-11; 8:45 am]
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