[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 126 (Monday, July 3, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 30730-30731]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13889]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
21 CFR Parts 11 and 101
[Docket No. FDA-2011-F-0172]
RIN 0910-AG57
Food Labeling; Nutrition Labeling of Standard Menu Items in
Restaurants and Similar Retail Food Establishments; Extension of
Comment Period
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Interim final rule; extension of comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is extending the
comment period for the interim final rule that appeared in the Federal
Register of May 4, 2017. In the interim final rule, FDA requested
comments on the extension of the compliance date for our final rule
requiring disclosure of certain nutrition information for standard menu
items in certain restaurants and retail food establishments. The
interim final rule extended the compliance date from May 5, 2017, to
May 7, 2018, and invited comment on several specific questions on how
we might further reduce the regulatory burden or increase flexibility
while continuing to achieve our regulatory objectives to provide
consumers with nutrition information so that they can make informed
choices for themselves and their families. We are taking this action in
response to a request for an extension to allow interested persons
additional time to submit comments.
DATES: FDA is extending the comment period on the interim final rule
published May 4, 2017 (82 FR 20825). Submit either electronic or
written comments by August 2, 2017.
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 August 2, 2017. The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until
midnight Eastern Time at the end of August 2, 2017. 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.
[[Page 30731]]
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-2011-F-0172 for ``Food Labeling; Nutrition Labeling of Standard
Menu Items in Restaurants and Similar Retail Food Establishments.''
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.'' We will review
this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in our
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 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: Felicia B. Billingslea, Center for
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-820), Food and Drug
Administration, 5001 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20740, 240-402-2371.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Federal Register of May 4, 2017, FDA
published an interim final rule with a 60-day comment period to request
comments on the extension of the compliance date for our final rule
requiring disclosure of certain nutrition information for standard menu
items in certain restaurants and retail food establishments. The
interim final rule extended the compliance date from May 5, 2017, to
May 7, 2018, and invited comment on several specific questions on how
we might further reduce the regulatory burden or increase flexibility
while continuing to achieve our regulatory objectives to provide
consumers with nutrition information so that they can make informed
choices for themselves and their families. Comments will inform FDA's
regulation for the disclosure of certain nutrition information for
standard menu items in certain restaurants and retail food
establishments.
We have received a request for a 60-day extension of the comment
period for the interim final rule. The request conveyed concern that
the current 60-day comment period does not allow sufficient time to
develop a meaningful or thoughtful response to the interim final rule.
FDA has considered the request and is extending the comment period
for the interim final rule for 30 days, until August 2, 2017. We
believe that a 30-day extension allows adequate time for interested
persons to submit comments without significantly delaying Agency action
on these important issues.
Dated: June 27, 2017.
Anna K. Abram,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, Legislation, and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2017-13889 Filed 6-30-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164-01-P