Document ID: FDA-2011-N-0002-0121
Agency: fda
Document Type: Notice
Title: Meetings: Food Defense Workshop
Posted Date: 2011-09-29T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 189 (Thursday, September 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60505-60506]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-25114]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0002]

Food Defense Workshop; Public Workshop

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of public workshop.

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    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, Southwest Regional Office (SWRO), in cosponsorship with 
Oklahoma State University, Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products 
Center (FAPC), is announcing a public workshop entitled ``Food Defense 
Workshop.'' This public workshop is intended to provide information 
about food defense as it relates to food facilities such as farms, 
manufacturers, processors, distributors, retailers, and restaurants.
    Date and Time: This public workshop will be held on November 2, 
2011, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    Location: The public workshop will be held at the Robert M. Kerr 
Food & Agricultural Products Center, Oklahoma State University, 148 
FAPC, Stillwater, OK 74078-6055.
    Contact: David Arvelo, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Food and Drug 
Administration, Southwest Regional Office, 4040 North Central 
Expressway, suite 900, Dallas, TX 75204, 214-253-

[[Page 60506]]

4952, FAX: 214-253-4970, e-mail: david.arvelo@fda.hhs.gov.
    For information on accommodation options, contact conference 
coordinator Karen Smith or Andrea Graves at the Robert M. Kerr Food & 
Agricultural Products Center, Oklahoma State University, 148 FAPC, 
Stillwater, OK 74078-6055, 405-744-6071, FAX: 405-744-6313, or e-mail: 
karenl.smith@okstate.edu or andrea.graves@okstate.edu. More information 
is also available online at http://www.fapc.biz/fooddefense.html. (FDA 
has verified the Web site address, but FDA is not responsible for any 
subsequent changes to the Web site after this document publishes in the 
Federal Register.)
    Registration: You are encouraged to register by October 21, 2011. 
The workshop has a $150 registration fee to cover the cost of 
facilities, materials, speakers, and breaks. Seats are limited; please 
submit your registration as soon as possible. The workshop will be 
filled in order of receipt of registration. Those accepted into the 
workshop will receive confirmation. Registration will close after the 
workshop is filled. Registration at the site is not guaranteed but may 
be possible on a space available basis on the day of the public 
workshop beginning at 8 a.m. The cost of registration at the site is 
$200 payable to FAPC. There is no registration fee for FDA employees.
    If you need special accommodations due to a disability, please 
contact Karen Smith (see Contact) at least 7 days in advance.
    Registration Form Instructions: To register, please complete the 
online registration form at http://www.fapc.biz/fooddefense.html.
    Transcripts: Transcripts of the public workshop will not be 
available due to the format of this workshop. Course handouts may be 
requested after the date of the public workshop through the contact 
persons (see Contact) at cost plus shipping.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This public workshop is being held in 
response to the large volume of food defense inquiries from food 
manufacturers originating from the area covered by the FDA Dallas 
District Office. The SWRO presents this workshop to help achieve 
objectives set forth in section 406 of the Food and Drug Administration 
Modernization Act of 1997 (21 U.S.C. 393), which include working 
closely with stakeholders and maximizing the availability and clarity 
of information to stakeholders and the public. This is consistent with 
the purposes of the Southwest Regional Small Business Representative 
Program, which are in part to respond to industry inquiries, develop 
educational materials, and sponsor workshops and conferences to provide 
firms, particularly small businesses, with firsthand working knowledge 
of FDA's regulations and compliance policies. This workshop is also 
consistent with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act 
of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-121), as outreach activities by government 
agencies to small businesses.
    The goal of this public workshop is to present information that 
will enable regulated industry to better comply with the regulations 
authorized by the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness 
and Response Act of 2002 (the Bioterrorism Act) and to better 
understand FDA's food defense guidance documents, especially in light 
of growing concerns about food protection. Information that FDA 
presents will be based on Agency position as articulated through 
regulation, guidance, and information previously made available to the 
public. Topics to be discussed at the workshop (both by FDA and non-FDA 
speakers) include: (1) Food defense awareness and definitions, (2) FDA 
food defense tools such as ALERT and Employees FIRST, (3) regulations 
issued under the Bioterrorism Act, (4) food defense guidance documents, 
(5) investigating food-related incidents effectively, (6) physical 
plant security, (7) crisis management, and other related topics. For 
more information, please visit http://www.fapc.biz/fooddefense.html. 
FDA expects that participation in this public workshop will provide 
regulated industry with greater understanding of the Agency's 
regulatory and policy perspectives on food protection, increase 
compliance with FDA regulations, and heighten food defense awareness.

    Dated: September 23, 2011.
Leslie Kux,
Acting Assistant Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2011-25114 Filed 9-28-11; 8:45 am]
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