[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75118-75119]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office
[FR Doc No: 2012-30530]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2012-0051]
National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Food
Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing a meeting of the
National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI).
The Committee is being convened to review two topics for FSIS. The
first is strengthening Agency verification activities and guidance
concerning sanitary dressing and antimicrobial interventions at veal
slaughter operations. FSIS test results show that the percent positive
for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) from trimmings and
ground beef produced from veal are higher than trimmings and ground
beef produced from other cattle slaughter classes. FSIS is seeking
feedback from NACMPI on improvements FSIS can make to its verification
activities related to sanitary dressing and interventions at veal
slaughter establishments and improvements it can make to its compliance
guidance to address veal slaughter operations.
FSIS is also seeking feedback from NACMPI on the ideal outreach
strategy for communicating with the veal industry.
The second topic is a review of criteria for categorizing FSIS
regulations as public health regulations. FSIS has revised its criteria
for identifying regulations that are most closely related to public
health outcomes. FSIS is seeking input from NACMPI on the criteria and
feedback on the proposed approach.
DATES: The meeting is scheduled for January 16-17, 2013 from 9:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The committee will meet from 8:00 a.m. to
9:00 a.m. on January 16 for administrative purposes; this portion of
the meeting is not open to the public.
ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in the Auditorium at the Patriot
Plaza III building, 355 E. Street SW., Washington, DC 20024. The
auditorium is located on the first floor. Please note that due to
increased security measures at the Patriot Plaza III, all persons
wishing to attend are strongly encouraged to RSVP in advance.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General information about the
committee can also be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/NACMPI/index.asp. Sally Fernandez, Program Specialist, Designated
Federal Officer, at Sally.Fernandez@fsis.usda.gov or 202-690-6524
(Phone), or (202) 690-6519 (Fax), may be contacted for specific
questions about the committee or this meeting.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The purpose of the Committee is to provide advice to the Secretary
of Agriculture concerning State and Federal programs with respect to
meat, poultry, and processed egg products, inspection, safety, and
other matters that fall within the scope of the Federal Meat Inspection
Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act. The Administrator of FSIS
is the chairperson of the Committee. Membership of the Committee is
drawn from representatives of consumer groups; producers; processors;
and marketers from the meat, poultry and egg product industries; State
and local government officials; and academia. The current members of
the NACMPI are: Patricia K. Buck, Center for Foodborne Illness Research
and Prevention; Dr. Fur-Chi Chen, Tennessee State University; Nancy J.
Donley, STOP Foodborne Illness; Veneranda Gapud, Fieldale Farms
Corporation; Sherika Harvey, Mississippi Department of Agriculture and
Commerce; Dr. Heidi Kassenborg, Minnesota Department of Agriculture;
Sarah A. Klein, Center for Science in the Public Interest; Dr. Carol L.
Lorenzen, Missouri State University; Dr. John A. Marcy, University of
Arkansas; Robert G. Reinhard, Sara Lee Corporation; Dr. Michael L.
Rybolt, Hillshire Farms; Dr. Craig E. Shultz, Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture; Dr. John D. Tilden, Michigan Department of Agriculture
and Rural Development; Steve E. Warshawer, Mesa Top Farm; Dr. J. Byron
Williams, Mississippi State University; Christopher A. Waldrop,
Consumer Federation of America; and Leonard W. Winchester, Public
Health--Seattle & King County.
Register for the Meeting: The public is asked to pre-register for
the meeting. Your pre-registration must state: The names of each person
in your group; organization or interest represented; the number of
people planning to give oral comments, if any; and whether anyone in
your group requires special accommodations. Submit registrations to (we
have to get a mailbox address). FSIS will also accept walk-in
registrations. Members of the public requesting to give oral comment to
the Committee must sign in at the registration desk.
Public Comments: Written public comments may be mailed to USDA/
FSIS, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Mail Stop 3778, Washington, DC
20250 or submitted via fax (202) 690-6519 or by email
NACMPI@fsis.usda.gov. All written comments must arrive by January 12,
2013. Oral comments are also accepted. To request to give oral
comments, see instructions under `Register for the Meeting' above.
Availability of Materials for the Meeting: All written public
comments will be compiled into a binder and available for review at the
meeting. Duplicate comments from multiple individuals will appear as
one comment, with a notation that multiple
[[Page 75119]]
copies of the comment were received. Please visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/NACMPI/index.asp to learn more about the
agenda for or reports resulting from this meeting.
Meeting Accommodations: USDA is committed to ensuring that all
interested persons are included in our events. If you are a person with
a disability and request reasonable accommodations to participate in
this meeting, please contact Sally Fernandez, Phone (202) 690-6524, Fax
(202) 690-6519 or email Sally.Fernandez@fsis.usda.gov. All reasonable
accommodation requests are managed on a case-by-case basis.
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, or
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 13, 2012.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2012-30530 Filed 12-18-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P