This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains regulatory documents having general

applicability and legal effect, most of which

are keyed to and codified in the Code of

Federal Regulations, which is published under

50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.

The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by

the Superintendent of Documents.

Rules and Regulations Federal Register

81339 

Vol. 85, No. 242 

Wednesday, December 16, 2020 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

9 CFR Parts 317 and 381 

[Docket No. FSIS–2020–0032] 

RIN [0583–AD77] 

Uniform Compliance Date for Food 

Labeling Regulations 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and 

Inspection Service (FSIS) is establishing 

January 1, 2024, as the uniform 

compliance date for new meat and 

poultry product labeling regulations that 

will be issued between January 1, 2021, 

and December 31, 2022. FSIS 

periodically announces uniform 

compliance dates for new meat and 

poultry product labeling regulations to 

minimize the economic impact of label 

changes. 

DATES: 

Effective date: This rule is effective 

December 16, 2020. 

Compliance date: The uniform 

compliance date for new meat and 

poultry product labeling regulations that 

will be issued between January 1, 2021, 

and December 31, 2022 is January 1, 

2024. 

Comments due date: Comments on 

this final rule must be received on or 

before January 15, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: FSIS invites interested 

persons to submit comments on this 

rule. Comments may be submitted by 

one of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: This 

website provides the ability to type 

short comments directly into the 

comment field on this web page or 

attach a file for lengthier comments. Go 

to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 

the on-line instructions at that site for 

submitting comments. 

• Mail, including CD–ROMs, etc.: 

Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Food Safety and 

Inspection Service, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, 

Washington, DC 20250–3700. 

• Hand- or Courier-Delivered 

submittals: Deliver to 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Jamie L. 

Whitten Building, Room 350–E, 

Washington, DC 20250–3700. 

Instructions: All items submitted by 

mail or electronic mail must include the 

Agency name and docket number FSIS– 

2016–0026. 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, call 

(202) 720–5627 to schedule a time to 

visit the FSIS Docket Room at 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–3700. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Contact Rosalyn Murphy-Jenkins, 

Director, Labeling and Program Delivery 

Staff, Office of Policy and Program 

Development, Food Safety and 

Inspection Service, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Telephone: 301–504–0879. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On December 14, 2004, FSIS issued a 

final rule establishing January 1, 2008, 

as the uniform compliance date for new 

meat and poultry labeling regulations 

issued between January 1, 2005, and 

December 31, 2006 (69 FR 74405). The 

2004 final rule also provided that the 

Agency would set uniform compliance 

dates for new labeling regulations in 2- 

year increments and periodically issue 

final rules announcing those dates. 

Consistent with the 2004 final rule, the 

Agency has since published six rules 

establishing the uniform compliance 

dates of January 1, 2010, January 1, 

2012, January 1, 2014, January 1, 2016, 

January 1, 2018, January 1, 2020, and 

January 1, 2022 (72 FR 9651, 73 FR 

75564, 75 FR 71344, 77 FR 76824, 79 FR 

71007, 81 FR 91670, and 83 FR 63052). 

The Final Rule 

The new uniform compliance date 

will apply only to final FSIS regulations 

that require changes in the labeling of 

meat and poultry products and that are 

published after January 1, 2021, and 

before December 31, 2022. For each 

final rule that requires changes in 

labeling, FSIS will specifically identify 

January 1, 2024, as the compliance date. 

All meat and poultry food products that 

are subject to labeling regulations issued 

between January 1, 2021, and December 

31, 2022, will be required to comply 

with these regulations on products 

introduced into commerce on or after 

January 1, 2024. If any food labeling 

regulation involves special 

circumstances that justify a compliance 

date other than January 1, 2024, the 

Agency will determine an appropriate 

compliance date and will publish that 

compliance date in the rulemaking. 

Two-year increments increase 

industry’s ability to make orderly 

adjustments to new labeling 

requirements without exposing 

consumers to outdated labels. This 

approach allows meat and poultry 

producers to plan for the use of label 

inventories and to develop new labeling 

materials that meet the new 

requirements. It also serves to reduce 

the economic impact of changing labels 

on both producers and consumers. 

In the May 4, 2004, proposed rule on 

uniform compliance dates for labeling 

requirements, FSIS provided notice and 

solicited comment (69 FR 24539). In the 

March 5, 2007, final rule, FSIS received 

only four comments in response to the 

proposal, all in support. In the March 5, 

2007, final rule, FSIS determined that 

further rulemaking for uniform 

compliance dates for labeling 

requirements is unnecessary (72 FR 

9651). The Agency received no 

comments on the 2007 final rule, the 

comments FSIS received on the 2012 

final rule were outside the scope (77 FR 

76824), and FSIS received no comments 

on the 2014 final rule (79 FR 71007) or 

the 2016 final rule (81 FR 91670). The 

Agency received four comments on the 

2018 final rule, all in support. One 

commenter requested that if a food 

labeling change warrants a different 

compliance date, federal agencies 

should coordinate and harmonize 

compliance and enforcement 

expectations. The Agency agrees and 

currently partners with the United 

States Food and Drug Administration 

(FDA) when developing any food 

labeling regulation that may impact 

FDA regulated products. Consistent 

with its statement in 2007, FSIS finds 


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81340 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 16, 2020 / Rules and Regulations 

that further rulemaking on this matter is 

unnecessary. However, FSIS is 

providing an opportunity for comment 

on the uniform compliance date 

established in this final rule. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

FSIS has reviewed this rule under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501–3520) and has determined 

that there is no new information 

collection related to this final rule. 

Under this final rule, the Agency is 

establishing January 1, 2024, as the 

uniform compliance date for new meat 

and poultry product labeling regulations 

that will be issued between January 1, 

2021, and December 31, 2022. The 

relevant information collection or 

record keeping requirements are 

covered under OMB approval number 

0583–0092, Marking, Labeling, and 

Packaging. 

Executive Orders 12866 and 13563, and 

the Regulatory Flexibility Act 

Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 

direct agencies to assess all costs and 

benefits of available regulatory 

alternatives and, if regulation is 

necessary, to select regulatory 

approaches that maximize net benefits 

(including potential economic, 

environmental, public health and safety 

benefits, distributive impacts, and 

equity). Executive Order (E.O.) 13563 

emphasizes the importance of 

quantifying both costs and benefits, of 

reducing costs, of harmonizing rules, 

and of promoting flexibility. This final 

rule has been designated as a ‘‘nonsignificant’’ regulatory action under 

section 3(f) of E.O. 12866. Accordingly, 

the final rule has not been reviewed by 

the Office of Management and Budget 

under E.O. 12866. 

This rule does not have a significant 

economic impact on a substantial 

number of small entities; consequently, 

a regulatory flexibility analysis is not 

required (5 U.S.C. 601–612). 

Congressional Review Act 

Pursuant to the Congressional Review 

Act at 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs has 

determined that this final rule is not a 

‘‘major rule,’’ as defined by 5 U.S.C. 

804(2). 

Additional Public Notification 

Public awareness of all segments of 

rulemaking and policy development is 

important. Consequently, FSIS will 

announce this Federal Register 

publication on-line through the FSIS 

web page located at: http://

www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register. 

FSIS will also announce and provide 

a link to it 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 

our constituents and stakeholders. The 

Constituent Update is available on the 

FSIS web page. Through the web page, 

FSIS is able to provide information to a 

much broader, more diverse audience. 

In addition, FSIS offers an email 

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/subscribe. 

Options range from recalls to export 

information, regulations, directives, and 

notices. Customers can add or delete 

subscriptions themselves and have the 

option to password protect their 

accounts. 

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement 

No agency, officer, or employee of the 

USDA shall, on the grounds of race, 

color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity, sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/ 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, or political 

beliefs, exclude from participation in, 

deny the benefits of, or subject to 

discrimination any person in the United 

States under any program or activity 

conducted by the USDA. 

How To File a Complaint of 

Discrimination 

To file a complaint of discrimination, 

complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, which 

may be accessed online at http://

www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/ 

docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_

12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you 

or your authorized representative. 

Send your completed complaint form 

or letter to USDA by mail, fax, or email: 

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410. 

Fax: (202) 690–7442. 

Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communication 

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) 

should contact USDA’s TARGET Center 

at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). 

Paul Kiecker, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26733 Filed 12–15–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

9 CFR Parts 416, 417, 500, 590, and 591 

[Docket No. FSIS–2005–0015] 

RIN 0583–AC58 

Egg Products Inspection Regulations 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Final rule; correction. 

SUMMARY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service (FSIS) is correcting a final rule 

that published on October 29, 2020. The 

final rule requires official plants that 

process egg products (herein also 

referred to as ‘‘egg products plants’’ or 

‘‘plants’’) to develop and implement 

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control 

Point (HACCP) Systems and Sanitation 

Standard Operating Procedures 

(Sanitation SOPs) and to meet other 

sanitation requirements consistent with 

FSIS’s meat and poultry regulations. 

DATES: This correction is effective 

December 28, 2020. The DATES, certain 

amendatory instructions, and regulatory 

text in FR Doc 2020–20151 (85 FR 

68640), published on October 29, 2020 

are corrected. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Victoria Levine, Program Analyst, Office 

of Policy and Program Development by 

telephone at (202) 690–3184. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

document corrects several technical 

errors with certain amendments and 

effective dates in FR Doc 2020–20151 

(85 FR 68640), published on October 29, 

2020. The DATES, certain amendatory 

instructions, and regulatory text are 

corrected. 

In FR Doc 2020–20151 (85 FR 68640), 

published on Thursday, October 29, 

2020, the following corrections are 

made: 

DATES: 

1. On page 68640, first column, the 

DATES section is corrected to read as 

follows: 

This rule is effective December 28, 

2020, except for: Amendatory 

instructions 30 (§ 590.146), 32 

(§ 590.149), 54 (§§ 590.500 and 590.502), 

55a (§ 590.504(f) through, (n), (p), and 

(q)), 56–65 (§§ 590.506 through 

590.560), and 66a (§ 590.570(a)), which 

are effective October 29, 2021; and 

amendatory instructions 4 (§ 417.7), 55b 

(§ 590.504(d) and (o)), 66b (§ 590.570), 

and 67 (§ 590.575), which are effective 

October 31, 2022. 

Effective December 28, 2020, 

§§ 591.1(a) and 591.2(b) are stayed 


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