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###### Department of Agriculture

###### Food Safety and Inspection Service

          - [Docket No. FSIS-2021-0028]

# AGENCY:

Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

# ACTION:

Notice of intent to reestablish the committee and its charter.

# SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, this notice is announcing the intention of the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reestablish the committee for the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and its charter. The purpose of NACMCF is to provide impartial, scientific advice and 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.

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

                        John Jarosh, Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Room 9-180 Patriots Plaza III, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700. Telephone number: (202) 690-6128. Email:                         *NACMCF@usda.gov.*

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

      ( print page 5780)    

## Background

                    The NACMCF was established in 1988, in response to a recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences for an interagency approach to microbiological criteria for foods, and in response to a recommendation of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, as expressed in the Rural Development, Agriculture, and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill for fiscal year 1988. The charter for the NACMCF is available for viewing on the FSIS internet web page at                     *https://www.fsis.usda.gov/​policy/​advisory-committees/​national-advisory-committee-microbiological-criteria-foods-nacmcf.*                     A change was made in the charter to replace `consumer group' with `consumer organization' in reference to the representative on the Committee providing the viewpoint of consumers. This change addresses feedback received during the NACMCF membership appointment process for the consumer representative on the Committee to be a member of a consumer organization. The NACMCF provides scientific advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on 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 Committee also provides scientific advice and recommendations to the Departments of Commerce and Defense. The Committee reports to the Secretary of Agriculture through the Under Secretary for Food Safety, the Committee's Chair, and to the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Committee's Vice-Chair. Currently, Ms. Sandra Eskin, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA, is the Committee Chair; Dr. Susan T. Mayne, Director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), is the Vice-Chair; and Mr. John J. Jarosh, FSIS, is the Director of the NACMCF Secretariat and Designated Federal Officer.                

                    NACMCF documents and comments posted on the FSIS website are electronic conversions from a variety of source formats. In some cases, document conversion may result in character translation or formatting errors. The original document is the official, legal copy. In order to meet the electronic and information technology accessibility standards in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, NACMCF may add alternate text descriptors for non-text elements (graphs, charts, tables, multimedia, etc.). These modifications only affect the internet copies of the documents. Copyrighted documents will not be posted on the FSIS website, but will be available for inspection in the FSIS Docket Room. 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:                     *https://www.fsis.usda.gov/​policy/​federal-register-rulemaking/​federal-register-notices.*                     FSIS also will make copies of this publication available 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:                     *https://www.fsis.usda.gov/​news-events/​news-press-releases/​news-feeds-subscriptions.*                     Options range from recalls toexport information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves and have the option to password protect their accounts.                

## USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

                    In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and 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. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (                    *e.g.,*                     Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at                     *https://www.usda.gov/​oascr/​how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint*                     and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter 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; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email:                     *program.intake@usda.gov.*

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Dated: January 28, 2022.

Cikena Reid,

USDA Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 2022-02139 Filed 2-1-22; 8:45 am]

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