44378 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2017 / Notices 

Improper Payments Information Act 

2010 (31 U.S.C. 3301) Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program: 

Disqualified Recipient Reporting and 

Computer Matching Requirements). 

State agencies are required to check for 

disqualified recipients in the Electronic 

Disqualified Recipient System, validate 

against a list of incarcerated people 

using the Social Security 

Administration’s Prisoner Verification 

System, verify applicant employment 

data through the National Directory of 

New Hires and confirm an individual is 

not in the Social Security 

Administration’s Death Master File. 

Additional program integrity tools and 

methods vary by State and can vary 

within States, particularly those that are 

decentralized and administer SNAP at 

the county level. Local offices may also 

conduct matches that vary from those 

used at the county or State level. 

Need and Use of the Information: 

This study will help FNS update the 

nationwide inventory of State SNAP 

data-matching and improve SNAP 

computer-matching efforts across the 

nation to maximize efficiencies and 

minimize fraud and waste. State 

agencies administering SNAP use data 

matching to verify information 

submitted at the application and 

recertification stages of the application 

process and to monitor changes in 

benefit recipients’ household 

circumstances. In order for USDA to 

make informed decisions, it is important 

to gather current information about how 

and to what extent SNAP agencies 

conduct computer data matching and 

systematically use that information to 

improve program integrity. 

Description of Respondents: State, 

Local and Tribal Agencies. 

Number of Respondents: 372. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

Annually. 

Total Burden Hours: 196. 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Title: Understanding the Anti-Fraud 

Measures of Large Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 

Retailers. 

OMB Control Number: 0584–NEW. 

Summary of Collection: This study is 

authorized under the Food and 

Nutrition Act of 2008 through the 

Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113– 

79). The United States Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) has the authority to 

‘‘undertake research that will help 

improve the administration and 

effectiveness of the supplemental 

nutrition assistance program in 

delivering nutrition-related benefits.’’ 

This is a new collection for the purpose 

of learning about the types of 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program (SNAP) related fraud activity 

observed by large retailers and the 

methods they use to prevent fraud and 

minimize their losses. 

Need and Use of the Information: 

This study will help FNS learn more 

about the types of SNAP fraud that 

occur in large retailer settings; 

document retailer practices to detect, 

deter, and deal with fraud (collectively 

known as loss prevention or loss 

prevention practices); and determine 

which practices could provide 

information that would help FNS in 

detecting and preventing SNAP fraud. 

Description of Respondents: 

Businesses-for-and-not-for-profit. 

Number of Respondents: 2,045. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

Annually. 

Total Burden Hours: 2,851.40. 

Ruth Brown, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20206 Filed 9–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

[Docket No. FSIS–2017–0038] 

Use of Whole Genome Sequence 

Analysis To Improve Food Safety and 

Public Health 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notification of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and 

Inspection Service (FSIS), with 

participation from the Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA), the Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 

the National Center for Biotechnology 

Information (NCBI), and other 

stakeholders is hosting a public meeting 

to discuss FSIS’ and other agencies’ 

practices and plans for collecting and 

analyzing whole genome sequence 

(WGS) data of bacteria isolated from 

official samples, as well as the state of 

the science and other issues 

surrounding this technology. WGS 

analyses can determine sequence 

relatedness between bacterial isolates 

with higher resolution than other 

analytical methods, including pulsedfield gel electrophoresis (PFGE), FSIS’ 

current method of characterizing 

bacteria. In addition, WGS analyses can 

characterize genes and other features of 

bacterial genomes. Currently, FSIS, 

local, State, and Federal public health 

and regulatory partners submit WGS 

data to a Federal public database, 

readily accessible to Federal and state 

partners, and other stakeholders, 

including regulated industry and 

consumers. Using this common 

database, Federal food safety partners 

can share information and collaborate 

on issues related to food safety and 

public health. FSIS intends to analyze 

WGS data using thoroughly vetted and 

scientifically accepted procedures and 

standards, along with epidemiological 

information and industry production 

and distribution records on amenable 

product, to carry out its public health 

mission. Inclusion of WGS analyses in 

decision-making will enhance 

foodborne outbreak investigations, as 

well as general decisions related to the 

use of data from routine verification 

sampling of establishments under FSIS 

jurisdiction. Industry, interested 

individuals, organizations, and other 

stakeholders are invited to participate in 

the meeting and comment on FSIS 

approaches for using WGS data within 

a regulatory framework. 

DATES: The public meeting will be held 

on Thursday and Friday, October 26 and 

27, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. 

EST. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Jefferson Auditorium in the South 

Building, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA), 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250. 

Attendance is free. Non-USDA 

employees must enter through the Wing 

5 entrance on Independence Avenue. 

The South Building is a Federal facility 

and attendees should plan to take 

adequate time to pass through the 

security screening systems. Attendees 

must show a valid photo ID to enter the 

building. Attendees also must be preregistered for the meeting and check in 

onsite the day of the meeting. See the 

pre-registration instructions under 

‘‘Registration and Meeting Materials.’’ 

Only registered attendees will be 

permitted to enter the building. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Peter S. Evans, Office of Policy and 

Program Development, Risk Innovations 

and Management Staff; Telephone: (202) 

690–6272; Fax: (202) 245–4793; Email: 

peter.evans@fsis.usda.gov. 

Note that the same week as the WGS 

public meeting, on October 24 and 25, 

2017, and also in the USDA Jefferson 

Auditorium, a separate interagency 

public meeting will be held by the 

National Antimicrobial Resistance 

Monitoring System collaborators. FDA 

will publish a Federal Register Notice 

to announce this meeting. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2017 / Notices 44379 

1 Jackson, B.R., Tarr, C., Strain, E., Jackson, K.A., 

Conrad, A., Carleton, H., . . . Gerner-Smidt, P. 

(2016). Implementation of Nationwide Real-Time 

Whole-Genome Sequencing to Enhance Listeriosis 

Outbreak Detection and Investigation. Clinical 

Infectious Diseases, Volume 63, Issue 3, 1 August 

2016, Pages 380–386, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ 

ciw242. 

2Meinersmann, R.J., Ladely, S.R., Bono, J.L., 

Plumblee, J.R., Hall, M.C., Genzlinger, L.L., & Cook, 

K.L. (2016). Complete Genome Sequence of a 

Colistin Resistance Gene (mcr-1)-Bearing Isolate of 

Escherichia coli from the United States. Genome 

Announc, 4(6). http://genomea.asm.org/content/4/ 

6/e01283-16.full. 

I. Background 

FSIS routinely samples meat, poultry 

and egg products, environmental 

surfaces in slaughter and processing 

establishments, and animal cecal 

contents for specific microorganisms. 

FSIS uses microbiological test results for 

a number of purposes: To verify the 

effective implementation of process 

controls and sanitation programs by 

industry; to help develop pathogen 

reduction standards for raw products 

and assess whether product meets those 

standards; and to support surveillance, 

including surveillance related to 

antimicrobial resistance, risk assessment 

and attribution studies. Sampling 

results may also be used to assign 

additional sampling or inspection 

resources to establishments or products 

with higher risk of causing harm to 

consumers. In addition to routine 

sampling, the Agency may collect 

samples for cause to investigate 

foodborne illnesses, outbreaks, 

consumer complaints and other nonroutine events. 

Due to the rapid advances in DNA 

sequencing technology, its superior 

resolution, significant reductions in per 

sample cost, and the potential for a 

single workflow to replace current 

laboratory subtyping methods, WGS 

analysis is now considered an important 

tool for routinely sub-typing and 

characterizing bacterial pathogens. 

Unlike PFGE and other DNA-based 

technologies, which rely on the analysis 

of arrangements of fragments or portions 

of a genome sequence without actually 

knowing each nucleotide in the 

sequence arrangement, WGS analyses 

use almost the entire genomic sequence, 

about 1 to 10 million base units for a 

typical bacterium. WGS provides robust 

estimates of sequence relatedness, based 

on the presence, absence, substitution 

and arrangement of individual 

nucleotides in the genomic sequences, 

thus permitting further characterization 

of individual genes and other interesting 

features of bacterial genomes. 

In 2013, CDC, FDA, FSIS, and the 

NCBI collaborated with local, State, and 

international partners to implement a 

pilot study of WGS-based surveillance 

for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm).1 For 

the pilot study, Lm isolates from 

patients, food, and domestic food 

processing environments were analyzed 

using WGS. The resulting analyses were 

routinely made available to CDC 

epidemiologists and other public health 

and regulatory partners. The availability 

of WGS analyses transformed outbreak 

surveillance and response: More illness 

clusters were detected (14 clusters 

detected in the year before the pilot 

versus 19 and 21 clusters detected in the 

two years after implementing WGS). In 

addition, illness clusters were detected 

sooner, median cluster size was 

markedly reduced, and more outbreaks 

were resolved by linking Lm illness and 

food sources. This pilot shows the 

specific improvements that can be 

gained using WGS, as compared to the 

use of PFGE analyses. 

FSIS plans to expand its use of WGS 

analysis to bacteria isolated from FSIS 

sampling projects to aid in accurately 

identifying and responding to outbreaks, 

conducting efficient traceback, and 

studying the environmental harborage 

and movement of pathogens in 

regulated establishments. All WGS data 

will continue to be uploaded to a 

Federal database that is readily 

accessible to all food safety and public 

health partners and stakeholders, 

including consumers. Additionally, 

FSIS will analyze WGS data from FSIS 

samples and other food, environmental, 

and clinical samples contributed by 

other sources and organizations. 

Additionally, FSIS has begun to 

analyze WGS data to identify specific 

genes associated with characteristics of 

public health concern. In collaboration 

with Federal partners, FSIS uses an 

antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene 

database to identify genes associated 

with emerging resistance to betalactamase, colistin, linezolid and other 

critically important antibiotics. In 

partnership with the National 

Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring 

System (NARMS), FSIS is searching for 

additional genes linked to AMR within 

the genomes of bacteria recovered from 

FSIS-regulated and other product 

samples. Notably, FSIS and the 

Agricultural Research Service reported 

WGS analyses of an E. coli from the 

cecal contents of swine which contained 

a recently discovered resistance gene to 

the antibiotic colistin.2

In summary, FSIS expects that the 

application of WGS analyses will 

enhance Agency resource allocation and 

decision-making. From our Lm WGS 

pilot experience, it is anticipated that 

the application of WGS analyses will 

lead to greater efficiencies, by 

consolidating laboratory workflows into 

a single step for bacterial 

characterization. In addition, FSIS and 

partners will use WGS in conjunction 

with epidemiologic and traceback 

evidence to identify the sources of 

outbreaks more expeditiously and to 

potentially prevent such events by 

putting in place preventive actions, 

informed by WGS analyses. Also, FSIS 

and other public health partners may 

identify genes associated with 

virulence, AMR, and other 

characteristics of concern, as well as 

newly emerging pathogen sub-types that 

were previously indistinguishable from 

routinely isolated bacteria. 

With the increase in application of 

WGS, PFGE and other sub-typing 

methods are expected to be phased out 

by FSIS and its public health partners, 

and consequently it will be important to 

build WGS capacity to perform 

sequencing and develop analyses to 

adequately support the respective 

regulatory frameworks. To address this, 

FSIS, with speakers from FDA, CDC, 

NCBI, academic institutions and the 

domestic and international partners, is 

hosting a public meeting to discuss 

these concepts in greater detail. An 

agenda will be published online before 

the public meeting. General topics will 

include: 

• WGS technology: The global and 

local perspective and advantages and 

limitations; 

• Collaboration and data sharing 

among Federal and non-Federal entities; 

• Information on the GenomeTrakr 

and PulseNet databases; 

• International standards for WGS; 

• Information on the equivalency of 

methods used by different agencies and 

stakeholders; 

• Communicating WGS results to 

stakeholders; and 

• Transitioning from PFGE to WGS in 

PulseNet. 

II. Registration and Meeting Materials 

There is no fee to register for the 

public meeting, but pre-registration is 

mandatory for participants attending inperson. On-site registration will not be 

permitted. Early registration is 

recommended as space is limited. All 

attendees must register online at http:// 

www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/ 

newsroom/meetings. Attendees 

requiring a sign language interpreter or 

other special accommodations should 

notify Ms. Evelyn Arce via telephone: 

202–418–8903 or email: Evelyn.Arce@

fsis.usda.gov. 

As stated above, FSIS will finalize an 

agenda on or before the meeting dates 

44380 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2017 / Notices 

and post it on the FSIS Web page at 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/meetings. 

III. Public Comments and Participation 

in Meetings 

Public Comments: Oral Comments 

Stakeholders will have an opportunity 

to provide oral comments during the 

public meeting. Due to the anticipated 

high level of interest in the opportunity 

to make public comments and the 

limited time available to do so, FSIS 

will do its best to accommodate all 

persons who wish to express an 

opinion. FSIS encourages persons and 

groups who have similar interests to 

consolidate their information for 

presentation by a single representative. 

Public Comments: Written Comments 

Any Stakeholder wishing to submit 

written comments prior to the meeting 

may do so, and may also submit 

comments after the meeting, using any 

of the following methods: 

Electronically—go to http://

www.regulations.gov and follow the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments; Mail, including CD–ROMS— 

send to Docket Clerk, USDA, FSIS 

Docket Room, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW., Patriots Plaza III, Mailstop 

3782, Room 8–163A, Washington, DC 

20250–3700; Hand- or courier-delivered 

items—deliver to the Docket Clerk, 

USDA, FSIS Docket Room at Patriots 

Plaza III, 355 E Street SW., Room 8–164, 

Washington, DC 20250, between 8:00 

a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through 

Friday. 

All items submitted by mail or 

electronic mail must include the Agency 

name and docket number FSIS–2017– 

0038. Written comments received in 

response to this docket will be made 

available for public inspection and 

posted without change, including any 

personal information, to http://

www.regulations.gov. For access to 

background documents or written 

comments received, go to the FSIS 

Docket Room at Patriots Plaza III, 355 E 

Street SW., Room 8–164, Washington, 

DC 20250, 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., 

Monday through Friday. 

Question-and-Answer Periods: Time 

has been allotted for audience questions 

after most presentations delivered 

during the meeting. Participants will 

have the opportunity to ask questions 

via a microphone in the auditorium. 

IV. Transcripts 

The transcript of the proceedings from 

the public meeting will become part of 

the administrative record. As soon as 

the meeting transcripts are available 

they will be accessible on the FSIS Web 

site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/ 

portal/fsis/newsroom/meetings. The 

transcripts may also be viewed at the 

FSIS Docket Room at the addressed 

listed above. 

Additional Public Notification 

Public awareness of all segments of 

rulemaking and policy development is 

important. Consequently, FSIS will 

announce this Federal Register 

publication online through the FSIS 

Web page located at: http://

www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register. 

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: http://

www.fsis.usda.gov/subscribe. Options 

range from recalls to export information, 

regulations, directives, and notices. 

Customers can add or delete 

subscriptions themselves, and have the 

option to password protect their 

accounts. 

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement 

No agency, officer, or employee of the 

USDA shall, on the grounds of race, 

color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity, sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/ 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, or political 

beliefs, exclude from participation in, 

deny the benefits of, or subject to 

discrimination, any person in the 

United States under any program or 

activity conducted by the USDA. 

How To File a Complaint of 

Discrimination 

To file a complaint of discrimination, 

complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, which 

may be accessed online at: http://

www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/ 

docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_

12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you 

or your authorized representative. 

Send your completed complaint form 

or letter to USDA by mail, fax, or email: 

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–9410. 

Fax: (202) 690–7442. 

Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communication 

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), 

should contact USDA’s TARGET Center 

at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). 

Done at Washington, DC, on: September 

19, 2017. 

Paul Kiecker, 

Acting Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20247 Filed 9–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Notice of Intent To Request To 

Conduct a New Information Collection 

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 this 

notice announces the intention of the 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

(NASS) to seek approval to conduct a 

new information collection to gather 

data related to the number of producers, 

acreage, number of vines, age of vines, 

etc. of wine grape varieties. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by November 21, 2017 to be 

assured of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by docket number 0535– 

NEW, by any of the following methods: 

• Email: ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. 

Include docket number above in the 

subject line of the message. 

• E-fax: (855) 838–6382. 

• Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD– 

ROM submissions to: David Hancock, 

NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 

South Building, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250– 

2024. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand 

deliver to: David Hancock, NASS 

Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Room 5336 South Building, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: R. 

Renee Picanso, Associate Administrator, 

National Agricultural Statistics Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, (202) 

720–4333. Copies of this information 

collection and related instructions can 

be obtained without charge from David 

Hancock, NASS—OMB Clearance