[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 168 (Thursday, August 31, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 41364-41365]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-18464]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

21 CFR Part 117

[Docket No. FDA-2016-D-2343]


Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human 
Food: Guidance for Industry; Availability

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notification of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, we, or Agency) is 
announcing the availability of another draft chapter of a multichapter 
guidance for industry entitled ``Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based 
Preventive Controls for Human Food: Guidance for Industry.'' This 
multichapter draft guidance is intended to explain our current thinking 
on how to comply with the requirements for hazard analysis and risk-
based preventive controls under our rule entitled ``Current Good 
Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive 
Controls for Human Food.'' The newly available draft chapter is 
entitled ``Chapter Six--Use of Heat Treatments as a Process Control.''

DATES: Although you can comment on any guidance at any time (see 21 CFR 
10.115(g)(5)), to ensure that we consider your comment on this draft 
guidance before we issue the final version of the guidance, submit 
either electronic or written comments by February 27, 2018.
    You may submit comments as follows:

Electronic Submissions

    Submit electronic comments in the following way:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted 
electronically, including attachments, to https://www.regulations.gov 
will be posted to the docket unchanged. Because your comment will be 
made public, you are solely responsible for ensuring that your comment 
does not include any confidential information that you or a third party 
may not wish to be posted, such as medical information, your or anyone 
else's Social Security number, or confidential business information, 
such as a manufacturing process. Please note that if you include your 
name, contact information, or other information that identifies you in 
the body of your comments, that information will be posted on https://www.regulations.gov.
    <bullet> If you want to submit a comment with confidential 
information that you do not wish to be made available to the public, 
submit the comment as a written/paper submission and in the manner 
detailed (see ``Written/Paper Submissions'' and ``Instructions'').

Written/Paper Submissions

    Submit written/paper submissions as follows:
    <bullet> Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for written/paper 
submissions): Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug 
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
    <bullet> For written/paper comments submitted to the Dockets 
Management Staff, FDA will post your comment, as well as any 
attachments, except for information submitted, marked and identified, 
as confidential, if submitted as detailed in ``Instructions.''
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket No. 
FDA-2016-D-2343 for ``Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive 
Controls for Human Food: Guidance for Industry.'' Received comments 
will be placed in the docket and, except for those submitted as 
``Confidential Submissions,'' publicly viewable at https://www.regulations.gov or at the Dockets Management Staff office between 9 
a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
    <bullet> Confidential Submissions--To submit a comment with 
confidential information that you do not wish to be made publicly 
available, submit your comments only as a written/paper submission. You 
should submit two copies total. One copy will include the information 
you claim to be confidential with a heading or cover note that states 
``THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.'' The Agency will 
review this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in 
its consideration of comments. The second copy, which will have the 
claimed confidential information redacted/blacked out, will be 
available for public viewing and posted on https://www.regulations.gov. 
Submit both copies to the Dockets Management Staff. If you do not wish 
your name and contact information to be made publicly available, you 
can provide this information on the cover sheet and not in the body of 
your comments and you must identify this information as 
``confidential.'' Any information marked as ``confidential'' will not 
be disclosed except in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 and other 
applicable disclosure law. For more information about FDA's posting of 
comments to public dockets, see 80 FR 56469, September 18, 2015, or 
access the information at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-09-18/pdf/2015-23389.pdf.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov and insert the docket number, found in brackets in 
the heading of this document, into the ``Search'' box and follow the 
prompts and/or go to the Dockets Management Staff, 5630 Fishers Lane, 
Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
    Submit written requests for single copies of the draft guidance to 
Office of Food Safety, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 
Food and Drug Administration (HFS-300), 5001 Campus Dr., College Park, 
MD 20740. Send two self-addressed adhesive labels

[[Page 41365]]

to assist that office in processing your request. See the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section for electronic access to the draft guidance.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenny Scott, Center for Food Safety 
and Applied Nutrition (HFS-300), Food and Drug Administration, 5001 
Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20740, 240-402-2166.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) (Pub. L. 111-353) 
enables FDA to better protect public health by helping to ensure the 
safety and security of the food supply. It enables FDA to focus more on 
preventing food safety problems rather than relying primarily on 
reacting to problems after they occur. FSMA recognizes the important 
role industry plays in ensuring the safety of the food supply, 
including the adoption of modern systems of preventive controls in food 
production.
    Section 103 of FSMA amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 
Act (FD&C Act), in section 418 of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 350g), by 
adding requirements for hazard analysis and risk-based preventive 
controls for establishments that are required to register as food 
facilities under our regulations, in 21 CFR part 1, subpart H, in 
accordance with section 415 of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 350d). We have 
established regulations to implement these requirements within part 117 
(21 CFR part 117).
    In the Federal Register of August 24, 2016 (81 FR 57816), we 
announced the availability of several chapters of a multichapter draft 
guidance for industry entitled ``Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based 
Preventive Controls for Human Food.'' We now are announcing the 
availability of an additional draft chapter of this multichapter 
guidance for industry. We are issuing the draft guidance consistent 
with our good guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The draft 
guidance, when finalized, will represent the current thinking of FDA on 
this topic. It does not establish any rights for any person and is not 
binding on FDA or the public. You can use an alternate approach if it 
satisfies the requirements of the applicable statutes and regulations. 
This guidance is not subject to Executive Order 12866.
    The multichapter draft guidance for industry is intended to explain 
our current thinking on how to comply with the requirements for hazard 
analysis and risk-based preventive controls under part 117, principally 
in subparts C and G. The chapter that we are announcing in this 
document is entitled ``Chapter Six--Use of Heat Treatments as a Process 
Control.''
    We intend to announce the availability for public comment of 
additional chapters of the draft guidance as we complete them.

II. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This draft guidance refers to previously approved collections of 
information found in FDA regulations. These collections of information 
are subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). The 
collections of information in part 117 have been approved under OMB 
control number 0910-0751.

III. Electronic Access

    Persons with access to the Internet may obtain the draft guidance 
at either https://www.fda.gov/FoodGuidances or https://www.regulations.gov. Use the FDA Web site listed in the previous 
sentence to find the most current version of the guidance.

    Dated: August 22, 2017.
Anna K. Abram,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, Legislation, and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2017-18464 Filed 8-30-17; 8:45 am]
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