Document ID: FDA-2019-N-4187-0029
Agency: fda
Document Type: Notice
Title: A New Era of Smarter Food Safety; Extension of Comment Period
Posted Date: 2019-11-20T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 20, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64089-64090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25123]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2019-N-4187]

A New Era of Smarter Food Safety; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) is 
extending the comment period for the notice of public meeting and 
request for comments that appeared in the Federal Register of September 
18, 2019. The notice announced a public meeting entitled ``A New Era of 
Smarter Food Safety'' that was held on October 21, 2019. In the notice 
of public meeting and request for comments, FDA requested comments on a 
modern approach the Agency is taking to strengthen its protection of 
the food supply to help shape an FDA blueprint for a new era of smarter 
food safety. The Agency is taking this action in response to requests 
for an extension to allow interested persons additional time to submit 
comments.

DATES: FDA is extending the comment period on the notice published 
September 18, 2019 (84 FR 49111). Submit either electronic or written 
comments by December 5, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments as follows. Please note that late, 
untimely filed comments will not be considered. Electronic comments 
must be submitted on or before December 5, 2019. The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until 
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time at the end of December 5, 2019. Comments 
received by mail/hand delivery/courier (for written/paper submissions) 
will be considered timely if they are postmarked or the delivery 
service acceptance receipt is on or before that date.

Electronic Submissions

    Submit electronic comments in the following way:
     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.
     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:
     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.
     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-2019-N-4187 for ``A New Era of Smarter Food Safety.'' Received 
comments, those filed in a timely manner (see ADDRESSES), 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 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through 
Friday.
     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

[[Page 64090]]

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Kelly, Office of Food Policy and 
Response, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., 
Silver Spring, MD, 301-796-1259.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Federal Register of September 18, 
2019, FDA published a notice of public meeting and request for comments 
with a 30-day comment period after the October 21, 2019, public meeting 
to request comments on the new era of smarter food safety. Comments on 
the new era of smarter food safety will shape an FDA blueprint for a 
new era of smarter food safety.
    The Agency has received requests for an extension of the comment 
period for ``A New Era of Smarter Food Safety; Public Meeting, Request 
for Comments.'' Each request conveyed concern that the current 30-day 
comment period following the October 21, 2019, public meeting does not 
allow sufficient time to develop a meaningful or thoughtful response to 
the September 18, 2019, notice.
    FDA has considered the requests and is extending the comment period 
for ``A New Era of Smarter Food Safety; Public Meeting, Request for 
Comments'' for 15 days, until December 5, 2019. The Agency believes 
that a 15-day extension allows adequate time for interested persons to 
submit comments without significantly delaying action on these 
important issues.

    Dated: November 14, 2019.
Lowell J. Schiller,
Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2019-25123 Filed 11-19-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P