[Federal Register: September 29, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 188)]
[Notices]
[Page 52119-52122]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29se98-177]

[[Page 52119]]

_______________________________________________________________________

Part VI

Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service

Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Food and Drug Administration

Environmental Protection Agency
_______________________________________________________________________

President's National Food Safety Initiative; Notice

[[Page 52120]]

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 98-045N]
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. 97N-0074]
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[Docket No. OPP-00550A; FRL-6034-3]


Food Safety Initiative Strategic Plan

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA; Research, Education,
and Economics, USDA; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS;
Food and Drug Administration, HHS; Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) are announcing additional public meetings,
under the auspices of the President's Council on Food Safety, to
discuss and begin development of a comprehensive strategic Federal food
safety plan. The purpose of the strategic plan is to reduce the annual
incidence of acute and chronic foodborne and waterborne illness by
further enhancing the safety of the nation's food supply. The Council
is also soliciting comments on the recent National Academy of Sciences'
report, ``Ensuring Safe Food from Production to Consumption.'' The
USDA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the EPA have
established public dockets to receive comments about the Food Safety
Initiative's strategic planning process, the strategic plan and the NAS
report.

DATES: The meetings will be held on October 20, 1998, November 10, 1998
and December 8, 1998. Comments should be submitted by January 7, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Meeting Address                       Date and Time
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Radisson Hotel Sacramento                   Tuesday, October 20, 1998,
500 Leisure Lane                             9:30 a.m.--4:30 p.m. PST
Sacramento, CA 95815
Telephone: (916) 922-2020
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schaumburg Marriott                         Tuesday, November 10, 1998,
50 North Martingale Rd.                      9:30 a.m.--4:30 p.m. CST
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Telephone: (847) 240-0100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Holiday Inn Select L.B.J. Northeast         Tuesday, December 8, 1998,
11350 L.B.J. Freeway @ Jupiter Rd.           9:30 a.m.--4:30 p.m. CST
Dallas, TX 75238
Telephone: (214) 341-5400
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    For instructions on the submission of written and electronic
comments, refer to Unit II. of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register for the meetings, contact
Ms. Traci Phebus, of USDA, at (202) 501-7136, fax: (202) 501-7642, e-
mail: foodsafetymeeting@usda.gov. Participants may reserve time for
public comments when they register. Space will be allocated on a first
come, first served basis. Participants are encouraged to submit a disk
along with their written statements in Wordperfect 5.1/6.1 or ASCII
file format.
    Questions regarding general arrangements and logistical matters
should be addressed to Ms. Jennifer Callahan. Additionally,
participants who require a sign language interpreter or other special
accommodations should contact Ms. Jennifer Callahan, of USDA, no later
than 10 days prior to the meeting, at (202) 501-7136, fax: (202) 501-
7642, e-mail: Jennifer.Callahan@usda.gov.
    Information about the National Academy of Sciences' report on
``Ensuring Safe Food from Production to Consumption'' can be found at
the following web site: http://www.nas.edu.
    For questions about the meeting or to obtain copies of the report,
``Food Safety From Farm to Table: A National Food Safety Initiative,''
contact Ms. Karen Carson, of FDA, at (202) 205-5140, fax: (202) 205-
5025, e-mail: kcarson@Bangate.fda.gov. Copies of the report also are
available from the following web sites:
    FDA at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/<difference>dms/fsreport.html
    CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/foodsafe/report.htm
    EPA at http://www.epa.gov/opptsfrs/home/nfssuppt.htm
    Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) at http://
www.fsis.usda.gov

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On January 25, 1997, the President issued a directive to the
Secretaries of USDA and HHS and the Administrator of EPA to work with
consumers, producers, industry, States, Tribes, universities, and the
public to identify ways to further improve the safety of our food
supply, and to report back to him in 90 days. The Federal food safety
agencies, working with their colleagues in the States, in the food
industries, in academia, and with consumers, initially focused on the
goal of reducing illness caused by microbial contamination of food and
water. This goal was to be reached through systematic improvements in
six key components of the food safety system: foodborne outbreak
response coordination, surveillance, inspections, research, risk
assessment, and education. The plan for meeting this goal was presented
to the President in May 1997, in ``Food Safety From Farm to Table: A
National Food Safety Initiative.'' In October 1997, the President
issued an additional directive to ensure the safety of domestic and
imported fresh produce and other imported foods. This second directive
was incorporated into the National Food Safety Initiative (NFSI).
    In less than 2 years, the agencies have taken significant strides
forward in building a strengthened national food safety system.
Building blocks for the infrastructure are in place: increased and
targeted surveillance through FoodNet and PulseNet; coordination of
Federal, State and local responses to outbreaks by the Foodborne
Outbreak Response Coordinating Group (FORCG); expanded reliance on
preventive controls (such as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
Points (HACCP) based inspection systems for meat, poultry and seafood,
and Good Agricultural and Good Manufacturing Practices guidance for
produce); coordination of Federal food safety research; cooperation on
risk assessment through the interagency Risk Assessment Consortium;
leveraging inspection resources; and innovative public/private
education partnerships. These efforts provide a common ground for
moving forward.
    On July 3, 1998, the President created a Joint Institute for Food
Safety

[[Page 52121]]

Research (JIFSR) to coordinate Federal food safety research efforts. On
August 25, 1998, the President issued an Executive Order establishing a
President's Council on Food Safety to develop a comprehensive strategic
plan for Federal food safety activities, ensure the most effective use
of Federal resources through the development and submission of
coordinated food safety budgets, and oversee the Joint Institute for
Food Safety Research. At the same time, the President directed the
Council to, after providing opportunity for public comment, report back
to him within 180 days with its views on the recommendations of the NAS
report.
    The food safety agencies had already made a commitment to prepare a
5-year comprehensive strategic plan, with the participation of all
concerned parties. The President's Council on Food Safety will now be
responsible for the development of this strategic Federal food safety
plan. A coordinated food safety strategic planning effort is needed to
build on the common ground, and to tackle some of the difficult public
health, resource, and management questions facing Federal food safety
agencies. The strategic plan will focus on not just microbial
contamination, but the full range of issues (e.g., chemical hazards)
and actions necessary to ensure the safety of the food and water
Americans use and consume. The charge is to develop a strategic long-
range plan that can be used to help set priorities, improve
coordination and efficiency, identify gaps in the current system and
mechanisms to fill those gaps, continue to enhance and strengthen
prevention and intervention strategies, and identify measures to show
progress. In developing the plan, the Council will consider the
conclusions and recommendations of the NAS report on ``Ensuring Safe
Food from Production to Consumption'' and the review of Federal food
safety research currently being developed by an interagency working
group under the auspices of the National Science and Technology
Council.
    The food safety agencies have already taken the first steps to lay
the groundwork for development of the strategic plan, which the Council
will now develop, by participating in interagency strategic planning
sessions. The result is the following draft statement encompassing the
agencies' vision for the U.S. food safety system and the roles of all
those involved in food safety.

            Draft Vision Statement
    Consumers can be confident that food is safe, healthy, and
affordable. We work within a seamless food safety system that uses
farm-to-table preventive strategies and integrated research,
surveillance, inspection, and enforcement. We are vigilant to new
and emergent threats and consider the needs of vulnerable
populations. We use science-and risk-based approaches along with
public/private partnerships. Food is safe because everyone
understands and accepts their responsibilities.

    The next step is to engage consumers, producers, industry, food
service providers, retailers, health professionals, State and local
governments, Tribes, academia, and the public in the strategic planning
process. The first public meeting on the strategic plan will be held on
October 2, 1998, in Arlington, VA and was announced in the Federal
Register of August 27, 1998 (63 FR 45922) (FRL-6019-9). The series of
meetings announced today, in addition to the October 2nd meeting, will
assist the Council with development of a long-term strategic plan that
addresses the important food safety challenges and makes the best use
of the agencies' limited resources. They will also assist the Council
in responding to the President on the NAS recommendations. Additional
public meetings may be held later in the strategic planning process and
will be announced in the Federal Register prior to the date of each
meeting.
    The purpose of these meetings, along with the October 2nd meeting,
is to obtain the public's view on a long-term vision for food safety in
the U.S. and to identify a strategic planning process, goals, and
critical steps as well as potential barriers to achieving that vision.
The Council is interested in comments on the draft vision statement,
suggestions for goals and how they might be achieved, and comments on
how to best structure a strategic planning process that involves all
interested parties. The Council is also soliciting comments on the
conclusions and recommendations of the NAS report, ``Ensuring Safe Food
from Production to Consumption.'' Some questions to help frame the
discussion follow.
    1. Does the vision statement accurately depict an achievable food
safety system vision? What modifications, if any, would you make?
    2. What are the barriers to pursuing this vision? What gaps
currently exist in the food safety system that impede achievement of
this vision?
    3. To make the vision a reality, what changes are needed for: (a)
government agencies at the Federal, State, and local level; (b)
industry; (c) public health professionals; (d) consumers; and (e)
others?
    4. What should be the short-term goals and critical steps to
realize this vision? What should be the long-term goals and steps?
    5. What is the best way to involve the public in development of a
long-term food safety strategic plan? What additional steps besides
public meetings would be beneficial?
    6. What are your comments on the conclusions and recommendations of
the NAS report ``Ensuring Safe Food from Production to Consumption''?

II. Public Dockets and Submission of Comments

    The agencies have established public dockets about the Food Safety
Initiative Strategic Plan and the NAS report, ``Ensuring Safe Food from
Production to Consumption.'' Comments submitted to the dockets are to
be identified with the appropriate docket number. For those comments
directed to USDA, use Docket No. 98-045N, and for comments directed to
FDA, use Docket No. 97N-0074. Commenters are encouraged to submit a
disk along with their written comments in Wordperfect 5.1/6.1 or ASCII
file format. Submit written comments (in triplicate) to either:
USDA/FSIS
    USDA/FSIS Hearing Clerk, 300 12th St., SW., Rm. 102 Cotton Annex,
Washington, DC 20250-3700
FDA
    Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration,
12420 Parklawn Drive, Rm. 1-23, Rockville, MD 20857
Electronic Comments
    Comments may also be submitted electronically to:
oppts.homepage@epa.gov. All comments and data in electronic form must
be identified by the docket number ``OPP-00550.'' Electronic comments
must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special
characters and any form of encryption.
Transcripts
    Transcripts of the public meetings may be requested in writing from
the Freedom of Information Office (HFI-35), Food and Drug
Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rm. 12A-16, Rockville, MD 20857,
approximately 15 working days after the meeting at a cost of 10 cents
per page. The transcripts of the public meetings will be available for
public examination at the FDA Dockets Management Branch (address above)
between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. Transcripts of the meetings will also be available on the
internet at: http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/default.htm and http://
www.epa.gov/opptsfrs/home/nfssuppt.htm.

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Electronic Docket
    The public docket in its entirety will be available on the internet
at: http://www.epa.gov/opptsfrs/home/rules.htm docket.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Food safety.

    Dated: September 24, 1998.
Catherine E. Woteki,
Undersecretary for Food Safety, United States Department of
Agriculture.

    Dated: September 24, 1998.
James A. O'Hara,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human
Services.

    Dated: September 24, 1998.
Lynn R. Goldman
Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic
Substances, Environmental Protection Agency.

[FR Doc. 98-26199 Filed 9-25-98; 2:52 pm]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F