Document ID: FDA-2010-N-0001-0045
Agency: fda
Document Type: Notice
Title: Public Workshop: Food Labeling
Posted Date: 2010-04-22T04:00Z

[Federal Register: April 22, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 77)]
[Notices]               
[Page 21007-21008]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22ap10-72]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0001]

 
Food Labeling; Public Workshop

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of public workshop.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Regulatory 
Affairs (ORA), Dallas District Office (DALDO), in collaboration with 
Oklahoma State University (OSU), Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural 
Products Center (FAPC), is announcing a public workshop entitled ``Food 
Labeling Workshop.'' This public workshop is intended to provide 
information about FDA food labeling regulations and other related 
subjects to the regulated industry, particularly small businesses and 
startups.
    Date and Time: The public workshop will be held on May 17 and 18, 
2010, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    Location: The public workshop will be held at FAPC, OSU, 148 FAPC, 
Stillwater, OK 74078-6055.
    Contact: David Arvelo, Food and Drug Administration, 4040 North 
Central Expressway, suite 900, Dallas, TX 75204, 214-253-4952, FAX: 
214-253-4970, or email: david.arvelo@fda.hhs.gov.
    For information on accommodation options, contact conference 
coordinators Karen Smith or Andrea Graves at FAPC, OSU, 148 FAPC, 
Stillwater, OK 74078-6055, 405-744-6071, FAX: 405-744-6313, or email: 
karenl.smith@okstate.edu or andrea.graves@okstate.edu.
    Registration: You are encouraged to register by May 3, 2010. The 
workshop has a $400 registration fee to cover the cost of facilities, 
materials, lunch, and breaks. Seats are limited; please submit your 
registration as soon as possible. Workshop space 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 $400 payable to FAPC. 
If you need special accommodations due to a disability, please contact 
Karen Smith (see Contact) at least 7 days in advance. There are no 
registration fees for FDA employees. More information is also available 
online at http://www.fapc.biz/foodlabeling.html. (FDA has verified the 
Web site address, but we are not responsible for any subsequent changes 
to the Web site after this document publishes in the Federal Register.)
    Registration form instructions: To register, please complete the 
online registration form at http://www.fapc.biz/forms/foodlabeling.htm.
    Transcripts: Transcripts of the public workshop will not be 
available due to the format of this workshop. Course handouts may be 
requested at cost through the Freedom of Information Office (HFI-35), 
Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, rm. 12A-16, Rockville, 
MD 20857, approximately 15 working days after the public workshop at a 
cost of 10 cents per page.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The public workshop is being held in 
response to the large volume of food labeling inquiries from small food 
manufacturers and startups originating from the area covered by DALDO. 
DALDO presents the workshop to help achieve objectives set forth in 
section

[[Page 21008]]

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 ORA's 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 requirements and 
compliance policies. The workshop is also consistent with the Small 
Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-
121), as outreach activities by government agencies to small 
businesses.
    The goal of the public workshop is to present information that will 
enable manufacturers and regulated industry to better comply with 
labeling requirements, especially in light of growing concerns about 
obesity and food allergens. Information presented will be based on 
agency position as articulated through regulation, compliance policy 
guides, and information previously made available to the public. Topics 
to be discussed at the workshop include the following: (1) Mandatory 
label elements, (2) the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection 
Act of 2004, (3) nutrition labeling requirements, (4) health and 
nutrition claims, and (5) special labeling issues such as exemptions. 
FDA expects that participation in the public workshop will provide 
regulated industry with greater understanding of the agency's 
regulatory and policy perspectives on food labeling and increase 
voluntary compliance with labeling requirements.

    Dated: April 16, 2010.
Leslie Kux,
Acting Assistant Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2010-9288 Filed 4-21-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-S