[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 35 (Monday, February 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9465-9466]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03552]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Announcement of the Availability of the Scientific Report of the 
2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, Solicitation of Written 
Comments on the Advisory Report, and Invitation for Oral Testimony at a 
Public Meeting

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the 
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services; and Food, Nutrition 
and Consumer Services and Research, Education, and Economics, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) (a) announce the availability of the 
Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee 
(Advisory Report); (b) solicit written comments on the Advisory Report; 
and (c) provide notice of a public meeting to solicit oral comments 
from the public on the Advisory Report.

DATES: The Advisory Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory 
Committee (Committee or DGAC) is available for review and public 
written comment. Written comments will be accepted through midnight 
E.S.T. on April 8, 2015. The meeting for the public to provide oral 
testimony to HHS and USDA on the Advisory Report will be held on March 
24, 2015, from 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. E.S.T.

ADDRESSES: The Advisory Report is available on the Internet at 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. Those participating in providing public oral 
testimony to HHS and USDA on the Advisory Report are required to attend 
the public meeting in-person at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
Clinical Center, Building 10, Masur Auditorium, 10 Center Drive, 9000 
Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892. Others wanting to participate by 
listening to the oral testimony can do so in-person or via webcast on 
the Internet.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Designated Federal Officer (DFO), 2015 
DGAC, Richard D. Olson, M.D., M.P.H.; Office of Disease Prevention and 
Health Promotion, OASH/HHS; 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite LL100 Tower 
Building; Rockville, MD 20852: Telephone: (240) 453-8280; Fax: (240) 
453-8281; Alternate DFO, 2015 DGAC, Kellie (O'Connell) Casavale, Ph.D., 
R.D., Nutrition Advisor; Office of Disease Prevention and Health 
Promotion, OASH/HHS; 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite LL100 Tower Building; 
Rockville, MD 20852: Telephone: (240) 453-8280; Fax: (240) 453-8281; 
Lead USDA Co-Executive Secretary, Colette I. Rihane, M.S., R.D., 
Director, Office of Nutrition Guidance and Analysis, Center for 
Nutrition Policy and Promotion, USDA; 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 
1034; Alexandria, VA 22302; Telephone: (703) 305-7600; Fax: (703) 305-
3300; and/or USDA Co-Executive Secretary, Shanthy A. Bowman, Ph.D., 
Nutritionist, Food Surveys Research Group, Beltsville Human Nutrition 
Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA; 10300 Baltimore 
Avenue, BARC-West Bldg 005, Room 125; Beltsville, MD 20705-2350; 
Telephone: (301) 504-0619. The Advisory Report and the agenda for this 
meeting will be made available on the Internet at 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under Section 301 of Public Law 101-445 (7 
U.S.C. 5341, the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act 
of 1990, Title III) the Secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
and Agriculture (USDA) are directed to issue at least every five years 
a report titled Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The law instructs 
that this publication shall contain nutritional and dietary information 
and guidelines for the general public, shall be based on the 
preponderance of scientific and medical knowledge current at the time 
of publication, and shall be promoted by each federal agency in 
carrying out any federal food, nutrition, or health program. The 
Dietary Guidelines for Americans was issued voluntarily by HHS and USDA 
in 1980, 1985, and 1990; the 1995 edition was the first statutorily 
mandated report, followed by subsequent editions at appropriate 
intervals. To assist with satisfying the mandate, a discretionary 
federal advisory committee is established every five years to provide 
independent, science-based advice and recommendations. The Committee 
consists of a panel of experts who were selected from the public/
private sector. Individuals who were selected to serve on the Committee 
have current scientific knowledge in the field of human nutrition and 
chronic disease.
    Appointed Committee Members: Fourteen members served on the 2015 
Committee. They were appointed by the Secretaries of HHS and USDA in 
May 2013. Information on the DGAC membership is available at 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. As stipulated in the charter, the Committee

[[Page 9466]]

terminated because it has completed its mission.
    Meeting Agenda: The meeting agenda will include opportunity for the 
public to give oral testimony to HHS and USDA officials on the Advisory 
Report.
    Meeting Registration: The meeting will be publicly accessible in-
person and by webcast on the Internet. Registration is required and is 
expected to open on March 9, 2015. To register, please go to 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov and click on the link for meeting 
registration. To register by phone, please call National Capitol 
Contracting, Andrea Popp at (703) 243-9696. Registration must include 
name, affiliation, and phone number or email address.
    Webcast Public Participation: After registering, individuals 
participating by webcast will receive webcast access information via 
email. Webcast registrants can observe the oral testimony; however, 
testimony can only be given in-person.
    In-Person Public Participation and Building Access: For in-person 
participants, the meetings will be held in the National Institutes of 
Health (NIH) Clinical Center (Building 10), as noted above in the 
Addresses section. Directions will be posted on 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. For in-person participants, check-in at the 
registration desk onsite at the meeting is required and will begin at 
8:00 a.m. E.S.T.
    Oral Testimony: HHS and USDA invite requests from the public to 
present three minutes of oral testimony to HHS and USDA officials on 
the Advisory Report at the March 24, 2015 public meeting.
    Registration capacity is limited to 70 individuals confirmed to 
speak and an additional 10 who are not confirmed to speak but are on 
stand-by (if time remains) to provide oral testimony. Capacity will be 
filled in the order received. Confirmation by email will include 
further instructions for participation. Requests to present oral 
testimony can be made by going to www.DietaryGuidelines.gov and 
clicking on the link for meeting registration and must include a 
written outline of the intended testimony not exceeding one page in 
length. In addition, the public is encouraged to provide written 
comments (separate from oral testimony) submitted electronically 
through the public comments database at www.DietaryGuidelines.gov.
    Written Public Comments: Written comments on the Advisory Report 
are encouraged from the public and will be accepted through April 8, 
2015. Written public comments can be submitted and/or viewed at 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov using the ``Submit Comments'' and ``Read 
Comments'' links, respectively. HHS and USDA requests that commenters 
provide a brief (250 words or less) summary of the points or issues in 
the comment text box. If commenters are providing literature or other 
resources, complete citations or abstracts and electronic links to full 
articles or reports are preferred instead of attaching these documents 
to the comment. All comments must be received by midnight (E.S.T.) on 
April 8, 2015, after which the time period for submitting written 
comments to the federal government expires. The ability to view public 
comments will continue to be available. Please allow until April 22, 
2015, for comment submissions to be processed and posted for viewing.
    Meeting Documents: Documents pertaining to the meeting, including a 
meeting agenda and webcast recording will be available on 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. Meeting information will continue to be 
accessible online, at the NIH Library (see the Addresses section), and 
upon request at the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 
OASH/HHS; 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite LL100 Tower Building; Rockville, 
MD 20852: Telephone (240) 453-8280; Fax: (240) 453-8281.

    Dated: January 13, 2015.
Don Wright,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Disease Prevention and 
Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services.
    Dated: January 13, 2015.
Angela Tagtow,
Executive Director, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture.
    Dated: January 15, 2015.
Chavonda Jacobs-Young,
Administrator, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2015-03552 Filed 2-20-15; 8:45 am]
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