[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 236 (Monday, December 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73865-73866]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29291]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Announcement of the Second 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory 
Committee Meeting

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health; and U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services and 
Research, Education, and Economics.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: As stipulated by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in 
collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is hereby 
giving notice that a meeting of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory 
Committee (DGAC) will be held and will be open to the public. This 
meeting was originally scheduled for October 3-4, 2013, but was 
postponed due to the government shutdown.

DATES: This meeting will be held on January 13, 2014, from 8:00 a.m.-
11:30 a.m. E.S.T. and January 14, 2014, from 8:00 a.m.-4:45 p.m. E.S.T. 
If the federal government in the Washington, DC area is closed for 
inclement weather on these days, the meeting will be canceled. The 
Office of Personnel Management notifies federal staff and the public of 
this at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/current-status/.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be accessible by webcast on the Internet or 
by attendance in-person. For in-person participants, the meeting will 
take place in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Porter Building 
(Building 35), 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Designated Federal Officer (DFO), 2015 
DGAC, Richard D. Olson, M.D., M.P.H.; Office of Disease Prevention and 
Health Promotion, OASH/HHS; 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite LL100 Tower 
Building; Rockville, MD 20852: Telephone: (240) 453-8280; Fax: (240) 
453-8281; Lead USDA Co-Executive Secretary, Colette I. Rihane, M.S., 
R.D., Director, Nutrition Guidance and Analysis Division, Center for 
Nutrition Policy and Promotion, USDA; 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 
1034; Alexandria, VA 22302; Telephone: (703) 305-7600; Fax: (703) 305-
3300; and/or USDA Co-Executive Secretary, Shanthy A. Bowman, Ph.D., 
Nutritionist, Food Surveys Research Group, Beltsville Human Nutrition 
Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA; 10300 Baltimore 
Avenue, BARC-West Bldg 005, Room 125; Beltsville, MD 20705-2350; 
Telephone: (301) 504-0619. Additional information about the 2015 DGAC 
and this meeting is available on the Internet at 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under Section 301 of Public Law 101-445 (7 
U.S.C. 5341, the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act 
of 1990, Title III) the Secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
and Agriculture (USDA) are directed to issue at least every five years 
a report titled Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The law instructs 
that this publication shall contain nutritional and dietary information 
and guidelines for the general public, shall be based on the 
preponderance of scientific and medical knowledge current at the time 
of publication, and shall be promoted by each federal agency in 
carrying out any federal food, nutrition, or health program. The 
Dietary Guidelines for Americans was issued voluntarily by HHS and USDA 
in 1980, 1985, and 1990; the 1995 edition was the first statutorily 
mandated report, followed by subsequent editions at the appropriate 
intervals. To assist with satisfying the mandate, a discretionary 
federal advisory committee is established every five years to provide 
independent, science-based advice and recommendations. The DGAC 
consists of a panel of experts who were selected from the public/
private sector. Individuals who were selected to serve on the Committee 
have current scientific knowledge in the field of human nutrition and 
chronic disease.
    Appointed Committee Members: The Secretaries of HHS and USDA 
appointed 15 individuals to serve as members of the 2015 DGAC in May 
2013. The Committee currently has 14 members; it became necessary for 
one of the appointed members to resign from his position on the 2015 
DGAC. Information on the DGAC membership is available at 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov.
    Authority: The 2015 DGAC is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 217a, 
Section 222 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.
    Committee's Task: The work of the DGAC is solely advisory in nature 
and time-limited. The Committee is tasked with developing 
recommendations based on the preponderance of current scientific and 
medical knowledge using a systematic review approach. The DGAC will 
examine the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, take into 
consideration new scientific evidence and current resource documents, 
and develop a report that is to be given to the Secretaries of HHS and 
USDA. The report will outline science-based recommendations and 
rationales which will serve as the basis for developing the eighth 
edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It is planned for the 
Committee to hold approximately five public meetings to review and 
discuss recommendations. This will be the second meeting of the 2015 
DGAC. Additional meeting dates, times, locations, and other relevant 
information will be announced at least 15 days in advance of each 
meeting via Federal Register notice. As stipulated in the charter, the 
Committee will be terminated after delivery of its final report to the 
Secretaries of HHS and USDA or two years from the date the charter was 
filed, whichever comes first.
    Purpose of the Meeting: In accordance with FACA and to promote 
transparency of the process, deliberations of the Committee will occur 
in a public forum. At this meeting, the Committee will continue its 
deliberations.
    Meeting Agenda: The meeting agenda will include (a) topic-specific 
presentations from guest experts identified by the Committee, (b) 
opportunity for the public to give oral testimony on day 2, (c) review 
of Committee work since the last public meeting, and (d) plans for 
future Committee work.
    Meeting Registration: The meeting is open to the public. The 
meeting will be accessible by webcast or by attendance in-person. 
Registration is required for both web viewing and in-person attendance 
and is expected to open on December 4, 2013. To register, please go to 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov and click on the link for ``Meeting 
Registration.'' To register by phone or to request a sign language 
interpreter or other special accommodations, please call National 
Capitol Contracting, Laura Walters at (703) 243-9696 by 5:00 p.m. 
E.S.T., January 6, 2014. Registration must include name, affiliation, 
phone number or email, days attending, and if participating via webcast 
or in-person.
    Webcast Public Participation: After registering, individuals 
participating by webcast will receive webcast access information via 
email.

[[Page 73866]]

    In-Person Public Participation and Building Access: For in-person 
participants, the meetings will be held in the National Institutes of 
Health (NIH) Porter Building (Building 35) as noted above in the 
Addresses section. Details regarding registration capacity and 
directions will be posted on www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. For in-person 
participants, check-in at the registration desk on-site at the meeting 
is required and will begin at 7:15 a.m. each day.
    Oral Testimony: For the meeting originally scheduled for October 3-
4, 2013, the Committee invited requests from the public to present 
three minutes of oral testimony. Individuals who were confirmed to 
speak or who were on standby will retain their designation and order 
for this rescheduled meeting. Further instructions for participation on 
January 14, 2014 (day 2) will be sent to those individuals.
    Written Public Comments: Written comments from the public will 
continue to be accepted throughout the Committee's deliberative 
process. Written public comments can be submitted and/or viewed at 
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov using the ``Submit Comments'' and ``Read 
Comments'' links, respectively. Written comments received by December 
31, 2013 will ensure transmission to the Committee prior to this 
meeting. As the Committee continues its work, it may request public 
comments on specific topics; these requests and any instructions for 
submitting requested comments will be posted on the Web site.
    Meeting Documents: Documents pertaining to Committee deliberations, 
including meeting agendas, summaries, and transcripts will be available 
on www.DietaryGuidelines.gov under ``Meetings,'' and meeting materials 
will be available for public viewing at the meeting. Meeting 
information, thereafter, will continue to be accessible online, at the 
NIH Library, and upon request at the Office of Disease Prevention and 
Health Promotion, OASH/HHS; 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite LL100 Tower 
Building; Rockville, MD 20852: Telephone (240) 453-8280; Fax: (240) 
453-8281.

    Dated: December 3, 2013.
Don Wright,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Disease Prevention and 
Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services.
    Dated: December 3, 2013.
Jackie Haven,
Acting Executive Director, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
    Dated: December 3, 2013.
Chavonda Jacobs-Young,
Acting Administrator, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2013-29291 Filed 12-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-32-P