[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 130 (Tuesday, July 8, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38486-38488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15906]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2014-0017]
National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service.
ACTION: Notice Soliciting Nominations for Membership on the National
Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting
nominations for membership on the National Advisory Committee on
Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). There are 7 vacancies.
Advisory Committee members serve a two-year term, renewable for two
consecutive terms.
USDA is seeking NACMCF members with scientific expertise in the
fields of epidemiology, food technology, microbiology (food, clinical,
and predictive), toxicology, risk assessment, infectious disease,
biostatistics, and other related sciences. USDA is seeking nominations
for NACMCF from persons in academia, industry, State governments, and
the Federal Government, as well as all other interested persons with
the required experience. Please note that federally registered
lobbyists cannot be considered for USDA advisory committee membership.
USDA is also seeking nominations for one individual affiliated with
a consumer group to serve on the NACMCF. This member will serve as a
representative member to provide a consumer viewpoint. This member will
not be required to have a scientific background and will not be subject
to conflict of interest review.
Members can serve on only one USDA advisory committee at a time.
All nominees will undergo a USDA background check.
With the exception of the consumer representative member, any
member who is not a Federal government employee will be appointed to
serve as a non-compensated special government employee (SGE). SGEs will
be subject to appropriate conflict of interest statutes and standards
of ethical conduct.
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Nominations for membership on the NACMCF must be addressed to the
Secretary of USDA and accompanied by a cover letter announcing the
nomination, a resume or curriculum vitae, and a completed USDA Advisory
Committee Membership Background Information form AD-755 available
online at: http://www.ocio.usda.gov/forms/doc/AD-755.pdf. A nomination
may be a self-nomination or a nomination on behalf of someone else. The
resume or curriculum vitae must be limited to five one-sided pages and
should include educational background, expertise, and a list of select
publications, if available. For submissions received that are more than
five one-sided pages in length, only the first five pages will be
reviewed.
DATES: All materials must be received by August 7, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Nomination packages can be sent by mail to: Tom Vilsack,
Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20250, Attn: National Advisory Committee on
Microbiological Criteria for Foods.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Karen Thomas-Sharp, Advisory
Committee Specialist, by telephone at 202-690-6620 or by email
[email protected].
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) invites interested
persons to submit comments on this notice. Comments may be submitted by
either of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal: This Web
site (http://www.regulations.gov) provides the ability to type short
comments directly into the comment field on this Web page or attach a
file for lengthier comments. Follow the online instructions at that
site for submitting comments. Mail, including CD-ROMS and hand or
courier delivered items: Send to Docket Clerk, USDA, FSIS Docket Room,
Patriots Plaza 3, 355 E Street SW., Room 8-163A, Washington, DC 20250-
3700 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must
include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2014-0017. 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.
Docket: For access to background documents or comments received, go
to the FSIS Docket Room at Patriots Plaza 3, 355 E. Street SW., Room 8-
164, Washington, DC 20250-3700 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday. All comments submitted in response to this notice, as
well as background information used by FSIS in developing this
document, will be available for public inspection in the FSIS Docket
Room at the address listed above between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The NACMCF was established in March 1988, in response to a
recommendation in a 1985 report of the National Academy of Sciences
Committee on Food Protection, Subcommittee on Microbiological Criteria,
``An Evaluation of the Role of Microbiological Criteria for Foods.''
The current charter for the NACMCF and other information about the
Committee are available to the public for viewing on the FSIS Web site
at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/nacmcf.
The Committee provides scientific advice and recommendations to the
Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services
concerning the development of microbiological criteria by which the
safety and wholesomeness of food can be assessed. For example, the
Committee assists in the development of criteria for microorganisms
that indicate whether food has been processed using good manufacturing
practices.
Appointments to the Committee will be made by the Secretary of
Agriculture after consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human
Services to ensure that recommendations made by the Committee take into
account the needs of the diverse groups served by the Department.
Given the complexity of issues, the full Committee expects to meet
at least once a year by teleconference or in-person, and the meetings
will be announced in the Federal Register. The subcommittees will meet
as deemed necessary by the chairperson through working group meetings
in an open public forum. Subcommittees also may meet through
teleconference or by computer-based conferencing (Webinars).
Subcommittees may invite technical experts to present information for
consideration by the subcommittee. The subcommittee meetings will not
be announced in the Federal Register. FSIS will announce the agenda and
subcommittee working group meetings through the Constituent Update,
available online at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/meetings/newsletters/constituent-updates.
NACMCF holds subcommittee meetings in order to accomplish the work
of NACMCF; all subcommittee work is reviewed and approved during a
public meeting of the full Committee, as announced in the Federal
Register. All data and records available to the full Committee are
expected to be available to the public when the full Committee reviews
and approves the work of the subcommittee.
Advisory Committee members are expected to attend all in-person
meetings during the two-year term for the smooth functioning of this
advisory committee. However, on rare occasions attendance through
teleconferencing may be necessary.
Members must be prepared to work outside of scheduled Committee and
subcommittee meetings and may be required to assist in document
preparation. Committee members serve on a voluntary basis; however,
travel expenses and per diem reimbursement are available.
Regarding Nominees Who Are Selected
All SGE and Federal government employee nominees who are selected
must complete the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) 450 Confidential
Financial Disclosure Report before rendering any advice or prior to
their first meeting. With the exception of the consumer representative
committee member, all committee members will be reviewed pursuant to 18
U.S.C. 208 for conflicts of interest relating to specific NACMCF work
charges, and financial disclosure updates will be required annually.
Members subject to financial disclosure must report any changes in
financial holdings requiring additional disclosure. OGE 450 forms are
available on-line at: http://www.oge.gov/Financial-Disclosure/Confidential-Financial-Disclosure-450/OGE-Form-450/.
Additional Public Notification
FSIS will announce this notice online through the FSIS Web page
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
FSIS will also make copies of this Federal Register 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 constituents and
stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups,
consumer interest groups, health professionals,
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and other individuals who have asked to be included. The Update is also
available on the FSIS Web page. In addition, FSIS offers an electronic
mail 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
recall notices, to export information, to regulations, directives, and
notices. Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have
the option to password protect their accounts.
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on
the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age,
disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or
family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication of program information (Braille, large print, or
audiotape.) should contact USDA's Target Center at 202-720-2600 (voice
and TTY).
To file a written complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TTY).
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Done at Washington, DC, on July 2, 2014.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2014-15906 Filed 7-7-14; 8:45 am]
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