About the Committee

The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) provides impartial scientific advice, and/or peer reviews to Federal food safety agencies for use in the development of an integrated national food safety systems approach that assures the safety of domestic, imported, and exported foods.

The NACMCF is a discretionary advisory committee that was established in 1988, by the Secretary of Agriculture, and after consulting with the Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in response to the recommendations of two external organizations. The National Academy of Sciences recommended an interagency approach to microbiological criteria, since various federal, State, and local agencies are responsible for food safety. Also, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations made a similar recommendation in the Rural Development, Agriculture, and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill for fiscal year 1988.

The NACMCF provides scientific advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture through the Under Secretary for Food Safety, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Assistant Secretary for Health. The Committee covers public health issues relative to the safety and wholesomeness of the U.S. food supply, including development of microbiological criteria and review and evaluation of epidemiological and risk assessment data and methodologies for assessing microbiological hazards in foods.

The food safety programs of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Department of HHS Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are strengthened through NACMCF recommendations. The programs of other Federal agencies concerned with food safety, including the Department of HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Department of Defense (DoD), Veterinary Services Activity also benefit from NACMCF work.

The activities of the NACMCF are carried out, in part, by subcommittees that are focused on specific areas being considered by the full Committee. The NACMCF has made important contributions to a broad range of critical food safety issues. The NACMCF has developed reference documents emphasizing the role of regulatory agencies, industry, and consumers to control specific foodborne pathogens. The NACMCF was instrumental in formulating and standardizing the principles of hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) systems. NACMCF reports provide current information and scientific advice to Federal food safety agencies and serve as a foundation for regulations and programs aimed at reducing foodborne disease and enhancing public health.

The NACMCF charter was filed on February 23, 2022.

Completed projects include:

• "Response to Questions Posed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service Regarding Determination of the most Appropriate Technologies for the Food Safety and Inspection Service to Adopt in Performing Routine and Baseline Microbiological Analyses",
• "Parameters for Inoculated Pack/Challenge Study Protocols", and
• "Assessment of the Food Safety Importance of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis."
• “Response to Questions Posed by the Department of Defense Regarding Microbiological Criteria as Indicators of Process Control or Insanitary Conditions”
• “Response to Questions Posed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service Regarding Salmonella Control Strategies in Poultry” 
• “Response to Questions Posed by the Food and Drug Administration Regarding Virulence Factors and Attributes that Define Foodborne Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) as Severe Human Pathogens” 
• “Microbiological Testing by Industry of Ready-To-Eat Foods Under FDA's Jurisdiction for Pathogens (or Appropriate Indicator Organisms): Verification of Preventive Controls” 
• “The Use of Water in Animal Production, Slaughter, and Processing”

Current subcommittee work:

• FSIS Charge: Enhancing Salmonella Control in Poultry Products 
• FDA Charge: Cyclospora cayetanensis

For an overview of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, go to http://www.gsa.gov/committeemanagement

1. Committee's Official Designation
   The Committee shall be known as the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), hereafter referred to as the Committee or the NACMCF.
    
2. Authority
   The NACMCF is a discretionary advisory committee that was established in 1988, by the Secretary of Agriculture, and after consulting with the Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services. The NACMCF was also established and operates in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2. The Committee is in the public interest in connection with the responsibilities of the United States Department of Agriculture.
    
3. Objectives and Scope of Activities
   The purpose of the Committee is to provide impartial, scientific advice, and/or peer reviews to Federal food safety agencies for use in the development of an integrated national food safety systems approach that assures the safety of domestic, imported, and exported foods.
    
4. Description of Duties
   The duties of the Committee are solely advisory in nature.
    
5. Agency or Official to Whom the Committee Reports
   The Committee reports to the Secretary of Agriculture through the Under Secretary for Food Safety, and to the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Assistant Secretary for Health.
    
6. Support
   The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Office of Public Health Science provides administrative support to the Committee.
    
7. Estimated Annual Operating Costs and Staff Years
   The total estimated annual fiscal year operating cost for the Committee is $150,000 with an equivalent of 0.4 full time employees (FTEs). Committee Members shall receive reimbursement for travel-related expenses in performance of their duties away from their homes or regular places of business, including per diem for attendance at Committee and subcommittee meetings, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5703.
    
8. Designated Federal Officer
   A full-time or permanent part-time Federal employee from FSIS is appointed in accordance with agency procedures and serves as the Designated Federal Officer (DFO). The DFO approves the Committee's and subcommittees' meetings, prepares and approves all meeting agendas, participates in all committee and subcommittee meetings, adjourns any meeting when the DFO determines adjournment to be in the public interest, and chairs meetings when directed to do so by the Secretary of Agriculture.
    
9. Estimated Number and Frequency of Meetings
   The Committee will meet approximately twice a year. All meetings are open to the public.
    
10. Duration
    Continuing.
     
11. Termination
    The Committee shall terminate two years from the date this charter is filed, unless the Secretary of Agriculture determines prior to that date that continuation of work is not in the public interest. No Committee work will be done without a current filed charter in accordance with FACA.
     
12. Membership and Designation
    1. This Committee will be fairly balanced in its membership in terms of the points of view represented and the functions to be performed. Steps will be taken to encourage fresh points of view, such as establishing staggered membership terms and limiting the number of reappointed memberships.
       
       Committee members serve 2-year terms that can be reappointed for one additional term. Former members are eligible for repeat service after one term of non-service. Federal employee members are not subject to term limits. 
       
       Terms will be staggered so that the Committee is composed of a mix of reappointed and new members. This mix ensures continuity of work that is in progress. Term limits result in turnover of membership and new perspectives, which affects the balance of a Federal advisory committee. 
        
    2. The Secretary of Agriculture will appoint the membership of the Committee after consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and, as appropriate, with other Federal agencies, such as the Department of Commerce's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Department of Defense's Veterinary Services Activity (DODVSA), and the Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding appointments.
       
       The NACMCF Committee will consist of not more than 30 individuals; the members will include one individual affiliated with a consumer organization to serve in a representational capacity, five Regular Government Employees (RGEs) representing FSIS, FDA, CDC, DODVSA, and NMFS, and scientific experts representing academia, industry, and State governments. Members of the Committee will be chosen based on their expertise in microbiology, risk assessment, epidemiology, public health, food science, and other relevant disciplines, in order to obtain the scientific perspective, expertise, experience, and point-of-view of all stakeholders. Non-Federal Government employee members will be appointed as Special Government Employees (SGEs). All members serve at the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture. 
        
    3. The Secretary of Agriculture or designee will appoint the NACMCF Chairperson, who is recognized for his or her ability to lead a group in a fair and focused manner, and who has been briefed on the mission of this Committee. The Secretary of Agriculture or designee will assign the Committee Vice-chairperson after consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
        
    4. Ethics Statement
       To maintain the highest levels of honesty, integrity and ethical conduct, no Committee or subcommittee member shall participate in any "specific party matters” (i.e., matters are narrowly focused and typically involve specific transactions between identified parties) such as a lease, license, permit, contract, claim, grant, agreement, or related litigation with the Department in which the member has a direct or indirect financial interest. This includes the requirement for Committee or Subcommittee members to immediately disclose to the DFO (for discussion with USDA’s Office of Ethics) any specific party matter in which the member's immediate family, relatives, business partners, or employer would be directly seeking to benefit financially from the Committee's recommendations. 
       
       All members will receive ethics training to identify and avoid any actions that would cause the public to question the integrity of the Committee's advice and recommendations. Members who are appointed as "Representatives" are not subject to Federal ethics laws because such appointment allows them to represent the point(s) of view of a particular group, business sector, or segment of the public. 
       
       Members appointed as "Special Government Employees" (SGEs) are considered intermittent Federal employees and are subject to Federal ethics laws. SGEs are appointed due to their personal knowledge, academic scholarship, background, or expertise. No SGEs may participate in any activity in which the member has a prohibited financial interest. Appointees who are SGEs are required to complete and submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-450 form) via the FDonline e-filing database system. Upon request USDA will assist SGEs in preparing these financial reports. To ensure the highest level of compliance with applicable ethical standards USDA will provide ethics training to SGEs on an annual basis. The provisions of these paragraphs are not meant to exhaustively cover all Federal ethics laws and do not affect any other statutory or regulatory obligations to which advisory committee members are subject. 
        
    5. Equal Opportunity Statement
       Equal opportunity practices, in line with USDA policies, will be followed in all membership appointments to the Committee. To ensure that the recommendations of the committee have taken into account the needs of the diverse groups served by the Department, membership shall include, to the extent practicable, individuals with demonstrated ability to represent minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and other underserved populations. 
       
       The USDA prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, political beliefs, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). 
        
13. Subcommittees
    The Food safety and Inspection Service in consultation with the DFO, has the authority to create subcommittees. Subcommittees must report back to the parent committee and must not provide advice or work products directly to the Agency.
     
14. Recordkeeping
    The records of this Committee, formally and informally established subcommittees, or other subgroups of the Committee, shall be handled in accordance with General Records Schedule (ORS) 6.2 or other approved agency records disposition schedule. These records shall be available for public inspection and copying, subject to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. Information about this Committee is available online at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/nacmcf
     
15. Filing Date
    February 23, 2022

Prospective members must complete Form AD-755, Advisory Committee Membership Background Information, and submit to a background investigation and review of their qualifications.

• Download the form

The U.S. General Services Administration provides this overview of the FACA and links to the FACA database used frequently by Congress and the Executive Branch.

• The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)

Please send questions, comments, and other correspondence concerning the NACMCF to the Executive Secretariat Office at NACMCF@usda.gov

• National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. 1990. Refrigerated foods containing cooked, uncured meat or poultry products that are packaged for extended refrigerated shelf life and that are ready-to-eat or prepared with little or no additional heat treatment
• The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), in response to questions posed by FDA, developed guidelines for conducting challenge studies on pathogen inhibition and inactivation studies in a variety of foods
• The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) Report 2001.09 Holding Temperatures
• The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) Report 2002.01.25 Holding Temperatures
• Microbiological Testing by Industry of Ready-to-Eat Foods under FDA's Jurisdiction for Pathogens (or Appropriate Indicator Organisms): Verification of Preventive Controls (April 2021) (PDF)
• Use of Water in Animal Production, Slaughter, and Processing (April 2021) (PDF)