Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 47 / Friday, March 10, 1995 / Notices 13111

important that those interested in this

proposed action participate by the close

of the 45 day comment period so that

substantive comments and objections

are made available to the Forest Service

at a time when it can meaningfully

consider them and respond to them in

the final EIS.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action,

comments on the draft EIS should be as

specific as possible. It is also helpful if

comments refer to specific pages or

chapters of the draft statement.

Comments may also address the

adequacy of the draft EIS or the merits

of the alternatives formulated and

discussed in the statement. Reviewers

may wish to refer to the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations for

implementing the procedural provisions

of the National Environmental Policy

Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing

these points.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Marcia Andre, District Ranger, Mad

River Ranger District, Star Route Box

300, Bridgeville, California 95526 or

telephone Janice Stevenson, Project

Planner (707) 574–6233.

Dated: February 22, 1995.

Harold J. Slate,

Acting Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 95–5840 Filed 3–9–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

California Spotted Owl EIS

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces an

open house in which the public is

invited to participate in information

exchange regarding alternatives being

considered in the California Spotted

Owl Draft Environmental Impact

Statement, as they affect the Sequoia

National Forest area.

DATES AND TIME: April 10, from 7 p.m.

to 9:00 p.m.

ADDRESS: Kernville Elementary School,

13350 Sierra Way, Kernville, CA 93238.

CONTACT PERSON FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION: Judy Schutza, Hot Springs

Ranger District, Route 4, Box 548,

California Hot Springs, CA 93207. (805)

548–6503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Forest

Service has released a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

to amend the Pacific Southwest

Regional Guide and Sierran Province

Forest Plans with new management

direction for the California Spotted Owl.

The purpose of this meeting is to

exchange information with the public

regarding the Draft Environmental

Impact Statement and the preferred

alternative.

The meeting will be informally

structured. A member of the team that

prepared the DEIS will be available to

answer questions and discuss the DEIS.

Visual media depicting the alternatives

and selected environmental

consequences will be displayed.

Judy Schutza,

District Ranger.

[FR Doc. 95–5931 Filed 3–9–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 95–002N]

Exemption for Retail Stores;

Adjustment of Dollar Limitations

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces that

the dollar limitation currently in effect

on the annual sales of poultry products

that can be sold by retail stores exempt

from Federal inspection requirements to

consumers other than household

consumers, such as hotels, restaurants

and similar institutions, has been

adjusted to conform with price change

for poultry products as indicated by the

Consumer Price Index. The dollar

limitation for poultry products

increased from $34,500 to $35,700 for

calendar year 1995. The dollar

limitation for meat products remains at

$38,900 for calendar year 1995.

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 10, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paula M. Cohen, Director, Regulations

Development, Policy, Evaluation and

Planning Staff, Food Safety and

Inspection Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250,

(202) 720–7164.

Background

Federal inspection of meat and

poultry products prepared for sale or

distribution in commerce or in States

designated under section 301(c) of the

Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) (21

U.S.C. 661(c)) and section 5(c) of the

Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA)

(21 U.S.C. 454(c)) is required by law and

administered by the Food Safety and

Inspection Service (FSIS). However,

section 301(c)(2) of the FMIA (21 U.S.C.

661(c)(2)) and section 5(c)(2) of the PPIA

(21 U.S.C. 454(c)(2)) state that the

general requirement of routine Federal

inspection ‘‘* * * shall not apply to

operations of types traditionally and

usually conducted at retail stores * * *

when conducted at any retail store

* * * for sale in normal retail quantities

* * * to consumers * * *.’’

FSIS regulations (9 CFR 303.1(d) and

381.10(d)) define retail stores that

qualify for exemption from routine

Federal inspection under the FMIA or

PPIA. Under the regulations, whether an

establishment is an exempt retail

establishment depends, in part, upon

the percentage and volume of its trade

with consumers other than household

consumers, such as hotels, restaurants

and similar institutions. Accordingly,

the Federal meat and poultry products

inspection regulations state in terms of

dollars the maximum amount of meat

and poultry products which may be sold

to nonhousehold consumers if the

establishment is to remain an exempt

retail establishment. During calendar

year 1994, the maximum amount for

meat products was $38,900; for poultry

products, the amount was $34,500.

The Federal meat and poultry

products inspection regulations (9 CFR

303.1(d)(2)(iii)(b) and

381.10(d)(2)(iii)(b)) further provide that

the dollar limitation on product sales by

retail stores to consumers other than

household consumers will be

automatically adjusted during the first

quarter of each calendar year whenever

the Consumer Price Index, published by

the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),

Department of Labor, indicates a change

during the previous year in the price of

the same volume of product exceeding

$500, upward or downward. The

regulations also require that notice of

the adjusted dollar limitation be

published in the Federal Register.

The BLS Consumer Price Index for

1994 indicates an average annual price

increase in meat products of 0.6 percent

and an average annual price increase in

poultry products of 3.4 percent. When

rounded off to the nearest $100, the

price increase for meat products

amounts to $200 and the price increase

for poultry products amounts to $1,200.

As a percentage of the existing dollar

limitation, change in excess of $500 is

indicated for poultry products only.

Accordingly, FSIS, in accordance

with §§ 303.1(d)(2)(iii)(b) and

381.10(d)(2)(iii)(b) of the regulations,

has maintained the dollar limitation of

permitted sales of meat products at

$38,900 and raised the dollar limitation

of permitted sales for poultry products

from $34,500 to $35,700.
13112 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 47 / Friday, March 10, 1995 / Notices

Done at Washington, DC, on February 28,

1995.

Michael R. Taylor,

Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety.

[FR Doc. 95–5830 Filed 3–9–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P

[Docket No. 95–009N]

Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis

and Critical Control Point (HACCP)

Systems—Notice of Scientific/

Technical Conference and Request for

Papers

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and

Inspection Service (FSIS) will hold a

scientific/technical conference, ‘‘New

Technology to Improve Food Safety,’’ on

April 12–13, 1995, at the Holiday Inn

O’Hare Airport, Rosemont, Illinois. The

purpose of the conference is to discuss

ways of developing and subsequently

introducing new technologies to

improve food safety.

ADDRESSES: Papers should be to sent to:

Dr. Pat Basu, Director, Technology

Transfer and Coordination Staff, Science

and Technology, FSIS, USDA, Room

302 Cotton Annex, 300 12th Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Pat Basu at (202) 720–8623.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

February 3, 1995, FSIS published a

proposed rule ‘‘Pathogen Reduction;

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control

Point (HACCP) Systems’’ (60 FR 6774).

In that document, the Agency proposed

a number of regulatory changes

applicable to Federal- and Stateinspected meat and poultry

establishments. The proposed changes

were designed to reduce the occurrence

and numbers of pathogenic

microorganisms in meat and poultry

products, thereby reducing the

incidence of foodborne illness

associated with the consumption of

these products.

In the proposed rule, FSIS stated its

intent to review its current policies and

procedures governing review and

approval of in-plant technologies that

improve the safety of meat and poultry

products, and to convene a public

meeting to gain information on ways the

Agency might improve its role in

fostering and overseeing the

implementation of such technologies.

FSIS believes that the development and

proper use of technology can contribute

significantly to improving the safety of

the food supply. FSIS recognizes that

members of the regulated industry have

complained that some of the Agency’s

control mechanisms stifle innovation,

potentially impeding progress that

could improve food safety. The Agency

also recognizes consumer groups’

concern that technologies be proven

effective and safe before use, and that

the scientific processes used by FSIS to

evaluate technologies be open to public

scrutiny and participation. To discuss

these issues, FSIS is hosting a scientific/

technical conference.

The first conference, ‘‘New

Technology to Improve Food Safety’’

will be held on April 12–13, 1995, at the

Holiday Inn O’Hare Airport, 5440 North

River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018, (708)

671–6350. The conference will begin

each day at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:30

p.m. on April 12th; at noon on April

13th.

Conference Agenda

The conference will consist of three

sessions as follows:

Session I: ‘‘The Role of Innovation in

Enhancing the Safety of Meat and Poultry

Products’’

Speakers will give examples of new food

safety technologies that have been

introduced.

Session II: ‘‘Models for Government

Facilitation of Technology Development and

Transfer’’

U.S. Government representatives and a

representative from a foreign country will

discuss various government models used in

the United States and abroad to encourage

the development and implementation of new

technologies.

Session III: ‘‘New Technologies for Reducing

Pathogens, Especially Escherichia coli

O157:H7’’

Speakers will address promising new

technologies developed to reduce food

pathogens.

Thomas J. Billy, Associate

Administrator, FSIS will moderate and

be joined by a panel consisting of:

Patricia Stolfa, Associate Deputy

Administrator for Science and

Technology, FSIS; Gene Lyons,

Research Leader, Richard Russell

Research Center, Agricultural Research

Service; a consumer representative; and

an industry representative.

At each session, invited speakers from

FSIS, other government agencies,

industry, and academia groups will give

presentations relevant to that session’s

topic. At Sessions I and III, selected

participants that have sent papers to

FSIS (see below for details of paper

submission) will give a 5 minute

presentation. Finally, the panel will

have an opportunity to ask the

presenters questions.

Submission of Papers

For Sessions I and III, interested

persons may submit a paper to FSIS. For

Session I, FSIS solicits papers detailing

experiences and examples of innovative

technologies that have improved food

safety. For Session III, FSIS solicits

papers presenting information on new

technologies for reducing pathogens,

especially Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Papers should present information

pertaining to effectiveness and cost of

the technology, employee safety, and

consumer acceptance of the technology.

Session II consists of presentations from

representatives from U.S. government

agencies and a representative from a

foreign country, and papers will not be

presented.

Selected persons submitting papers

will be invited to give a 5 minute

presentation summarizing their paper. If

the same subject is covered in more than

one paper, FSIS will have the authors

combine their presentation for a single

5 minute presentation or select the first

paper submitted on the issue and have

that author give a presentation.

All papers must be received by March

31, 1995, to be considered for the

conference. Please indicate if the paper

is for Session I or Session III. Two

copies of each paper should be

submitted (See ADDRESSES), along with

hard copies of any slides to be used in

the presentation.

Availability of Information

After the conference, the panel will

prepare a report of the proceedings

addressing the issues presented. This

report will include information on how

FSIS can assist in the development and

introduction of new technologies to

improve food safety. Any reports by the

panel, transcripts of the conference, and

copies of all the papers received will be

available in the FSIS Docket Clerk’s

Office, Room 3171, South Agriculture

Building, Food Safety and Inspection

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Washington, DC 20250.

Attendance and Hotel Reservations

Please call Ms. Betsy Kogan at (202)

205–0699 if you plan to attend the

conference. Additionally, FSIS has

reserved a block of rooms at the hotel

for $85 per night. Reservations may be

made by contacting the hotel at (708)

671–6350.

Done at Washington, DC, on March 6,

1995.

Michael R. Taylor,

Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety.

[FR Doc. 95–5995 Filed 3–9–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P