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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 226 (Friday, November 22, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 92607-92608]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-27280]

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Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 226 / Friday, November 22, 2024 / 
Proposed Rules

[[Page 92607]]

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

9 CFR Part 381

[Docket No. FSIS-2023-0028]
RIN 0583-AD96

Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notification of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: FSIS is hosting two virtual public meetings to give 
stakeholders an opportunity to present their views on and discuss the 
Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products proposed rule and 
proposed determination. The first meeting will focus on the proposed 
final product standards under Component Three of the proposed 
Framework. The second meeting will focus on Component Two's proposed 
regulatory amendments to enhance establishment process control 
monitoring and will also address additional aspects of the proposed 
Salmonella Framework raised by stakeholders. FSIS is holding these 
public meetings to solicit stakeholder views on the proposed Salmonella 
Framework and to facilitate dialogue among stakeholders and the Agency.

DATES: The virtual public meetings will be held on Tuesday, December 3, 
2024, from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and Thursday, 
December 5, 2024, from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be virtual and will be viewed via the 
Teams link provided by email when you register for the meetings. 
Attendees must be pre-registered for the meetings. See the pre-
registration instructions under ``Registration and Meeting Materials.''
    Written comments on the Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry 
Products Proposed Rule and Proposed Determination 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: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for 
submitting comments.
     Mail: 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-2023-0028. Comments 
received in response to this docket will be made available for public 
inspection and posted without change, including any personal 
information, to https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie Lastra, Director Internal 
Affairs by telephone at (202) 731-4584 or email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    FSIS is the public health agency in USDA whose mission is to ensure 
that meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and properly 
labeled and packaged. In October 2022, FSIS published a Salmonella 
Framework document, a precursor to a proposed rule and determination, 
which shared the agency's thinking on an alternative approach to 
reducing Salmonella contamination in raw poultry and related 
illnesses.\1\ The Framework document was informed by months of 
information-gathering and discussions with a wide range of 
stakeholders, researchers, and scientists. On August 7, 2024, FSIS 
published the Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products proposed 
rule and proposed determination (89 FR 64678), which, if finalized, 
would constitute a new strategy to control Salmonella in poultry 
products. The proposed rule and determination consist of three 
components. Component One focuses on a non-regulatory approach for 
mitigating the risk of introducing Salmonella into the processing 
establishment.
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    \1\ Proposed Regulatory Framework to Salmonella Illnesses 
Attributable to Poultry. Available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/inspection/inspection-programs/inspection-poultry-products/reducing-salmonella-poultry/proposed.
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    Component Two of the proposal would revise the regulations in 9 CFR 
381.65(g) and (h) that require that all poultry slaughter 
establishments develop, implement, and maintain written procedures to 
prevent contamination by enteric pathogens throughout the entire 
slaughter and dressing operation and maintain records documenting those 
procedures. FSIS is proposing to amend these regulations to establish 
new requirements pertaining to how establishments monitor and document 
whether their processes for preventing microbial contamination are in 
control. The proposed revisions are intended to clarify existing 
regulatory requirements related to process control monitoring in 9 CFR 
381.65(g) and (h). Under this proposal, establishments would be 
required to incorporate statistical process control (SPC) monitoring 
principles into their microbial monitoring programs (MMPs).
    Component Three of the proposed Framework would establish final 
product standards that would define whether certain raw poultry 
products contaminated with a certain Salmonella level and particular 
serotypes are adulterated as defined in the Poultry Products Inspection 
Act (PPIA) (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.). The Salmonella level and serotypes 
in the proposed final product standards were informed by two peer-
reviewed quantitative risk assessments developed by FSIS--one for 
Salmonella in chicken and one for Salmonella in turkey \2\--and a 
thorough review of multiple FSIS efforts initiated to inform the 
proposal, including scientific information provided at a February 2022 
research and science roundtable,\3\ stakeholder input received at a 
November 2022 virtual public

[[Page 92608]]

meeting,\4\ a 2023 National Advisory Committee on Microbiological 
Criteria for Food (NACMCF) report,\5\ and an externally peer-reviewed 
2023 risk profile.\6\ The proposed final product standards would apply 
to raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, comminuted chicken, and 
comminuted turkey. As stated in the proposal, FSIS has tentatively 
determined that these products are adulterated if they contain any type 
of Salmonella at or above 10 colony forming units/per milliliter or 
gram (10 cfu/mL(g)) in analytical portion (i.e., mL of rinsate or gram 
of product) and contain any detectable level of at least one of the 
Salmonella serotypes of public health significance identified for that 
commodity. The proposed Salmonella serotypes of public health 
significance identified for raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, and 
comminuted chicken are Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and I 4,[5],12:i:-, 
and for raw comminuted turkey are Hadar, Typhimurium, and Muenchen.
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    \2\ Quantitative Risk Assessment for Salmonella in Raw Chicken 
and Chicken Products and Quantitative Risk Assessment for Salmonella 
in Raw Turkey and Turkey Products available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/science-data/risk-assessments/poultry-risk-assessment-files-salmonella-framework.
    \3\ Salmonella in Poultry: Research and Science Roundtable. 
Available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/events-meetings/salmonella-poultry-research-and-science-roundtable.
    \4\ Public Meeting on Reducing Salmonella in Poultry available 
at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/events-meetings/public-meeting-reducing-salmonella-poultry.
    \5\ NACMR final report: Response to Questions Posed by the Food 
Safety and Inspection Service: Enhancing Salmonella Control in 
Poultry Products (March 13, 2023). Available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/policy/advisory-committees/national-advisory-committee-microbiological-criteria-foods-nacmcf/2021.
    \6\ Risk Profile for Pathogenic Salmonella in Poultry available 
at: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FSIS-2023-0028.
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    In the proposal, FSIS requested comments on various aspects of all 
three Components in the proposed Salmonella Framework. The comment 
period was originally scheduled to close on October 7, 2024, but was 
extended until January 17, 2025.\7\
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    \7\ FSIS Constituent Update--October 11, 2024; FSIS Extends 
Comment Period on Proposed Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry 
Products. Available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/news-press-releases/constituent-update-october-11-2024.
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Public Meetings

    FSIS is announcing that it will hold two virtual public meetings 
during the open comment period. The first meeting will be held on 
Tuesday, December 3, 2024, from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. EST, and will focus on 
the final product standards under Component Three. The second will be 
held on Thursday, December 5, 2024, from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. EST, and will 
focus on the enhanced process control monitoring provisions under 
Component Two and any additional issues raised by stakeholders on the 
proposed Framework. The purpose of the meetings is to give stakeholders 
an opportunity to present their views on certain aspects of the 
proposed Salmonella Framework and to facilitate discussion among 
stakeholders and the agency. An agenda will be published online before 
the public meetings. FSIS will finalize the agenda on or before the 
meeting dates and post it on the FSIS website for the December 3, 2024 
meeting at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/events-meetings/product-standards-and-salmonella-framework-raw-poultry-products and the 
December 5, 2024 meeting at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/events-meetings/process-control-monitoring-and-salmonella-framework-raw-poultry.

Registration and Meeting Materials

    There is no fee to register for the meetings, but pre-registration 
is mandatory for participants attending. All attendees must register 
online by visiting the event page for the December 3, 2024 meeting at: 
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/events-meetings/product-standards-and-salmonella-framework-raw-poultry-products and the 
December 5, 2024 meeting at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/events-meetings/process-control-monitoring-and-salmonella-framework-raw-poultry. After registering, they will receive an email 
acknowledging their registration. Stakeholders interested in presenting 
their views on a particular topic must notify FSIS when they register 
and must submit a brief description of the information they would like 
to present. Stakeholders interested in presenting must register by 
November 26, 2024. FSIS will review the stakeholder submissions and 
extend invitations for selected stakeholders to speak at the meetings. 
The Agency's goal is to have presentations from a wide variety of 
stakeholders, including industry, consumer groups, and academia. FSIS 
will provide time for the stakeholders in the larger audience to 
provide input and ask the presenting stakeholders questions. Attendees 
that do not plan to speak at the meetings may register at any time up 
to the day of the meeting.

Transcripts

    As soon as the meeting transcripts are available, they will be 
accessible on the FSIS website for the December 3, 2024 meeting at: 
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/events-meetings/product-standards-and-salmonella-framework-raw-poultry-products and the 
December 5, 2024 meeting at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/events-meetings/process-control-monitoring-and-salmonella-framework-raw-poultry.

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

    In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, USDA, its 
Mission Areas, agencies, staff offices, employees, and institutions 
participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from 
discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 
gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, 
disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, 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). 
Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
    Program information may be made available in languages other than 
English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of 
communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large 
print, audiotape, American Sign Language) should contact the 
responsible Mission Area, agency, or staff office; the USDA TARGET 
Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY); or the Federal Relay Service 
at (800) 877-8339.
    To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should 
complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, 
which can be obtained online at https://www.usda.gov/forms/electronic-forms, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a 
letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant's 
name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the 
alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the 
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date 
of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or 
letter must be submitted to USDA by:
    (1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20250-9410; or
    (2) Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
    (3) Email: [email protected].
    USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Paul Kiecker,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2024-27280 Filed 11-21-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P
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