[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 113 (Thursday, June 12, 1997)] [Proposed Rules] [Pages 32053-32054] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-15333] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food Safety and Inspection Service 9 CFR Parts 304, 308, 310, 320, 327, 381, 416, and 417 [Docket No. 97-025N] Generic HACCP Models and Guidance Materials Available for Review and Comment AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has developed 13 generic Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) models and has revised its Guidebook for the Preparation of HACCP Plans and its Hazards and Controls Guide for Meat and Poultry Products to assist meat and poultry establishments in the development of their HACCP systems. The models, Guidebook, and Guide will be available for review and study by interested members of the public. FSIS is soliciting public comments on the models and other guidance materials to determine their appropriateness and useability, especially by owners of ``small'' and ``very small'' establishments. DATES: Written comments on the models, Guidebook, and Guide must be submitted on or before August 11, 1997. ADDRESSES: The models, Guidebook, and Guide may be viewed in the FSIS Docket Reading Room, Room 102 Cotton Annex Building, 300 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700 and at Government Depository Libraries throughout the country. Comments on the models and other documents should be directed to Ms. Diane Moore, FSIS Docket Clerk, at the above address. Paper copies of the complete set of materials are available from the Public Outreach Office, Room 1180, South Agriculture Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700. To obtain a paper copy of the Guidebook, Guide, and appropriate model(s), please mail your request indicating the number and title of the document to the Public Outreach Office at the above address; or FAX to (202) 720- 9063. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Patricia F. Stolfa, Assistant Deputy Administrator, Regulations & Inspection, in the Office of Policy, Program Development and Evaluation, Food Safety and Inspection Service, at (202) 205-0699, FAX (202) 401-1760. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 25, 1996, FSIS published a final rule, ``Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems'' (61 FR 38806). This rule introduces sweeping changes to the meat and poultry inspection system and directly targets pathogenic organisms on those products that can cause foodborne illness. In the preamble to the proposed rule, FSIS announced that it would develop 13 generic HACCP models to facilitate preparation of mandated HACCP plans, especially by ``small'' and ``very small'' establishments, and to reduce costs associated with developing HACCP plans. FSIS said that the models would be available in draft form for public comment, and in final form at least six months before HACCP implementation. HACCP will be implemented in ``small'' and ``very small'' plants in the years 1999 and 2000 respectively. The following generic HACCP models and guidance materials are available: HACCP-1, Guidebook for the Preparation of HACCP Plans; HACCP-2, Meat and Poultry Products Hazards and Control Guide; HACCP-3, Generic [[Page 32054]] HACCP Model for Raw, Ground Meat and Poultry Products; HACCP-4, Generic HACCP Model for Raw, Not Ground Meat and Poultry Products; HACCP-5, Generic HACCP Model for Poultry Slaughter; HACCP-6, Generic HACCP Model for Mechanically Separated (Species)/Mechanically Deboned Poultry; HACCP-7, Generic HACCP Model for Thermally Processed Commercially Sterile Meat and Poultry Products; HACCP-8, Generic HACCP Model for Irradiation; HACCP-9, Generic HACCP Model for Meat and Poultry Products with Secondary Inhibitors, Not Shelf-Stable; HACCP-10, Generic HACCP Model for Heat Treated, Shelf- Stable Meat and Poultry Products; HACCP-11, Generic HACCP Model for Not Shelf-Stable Heat Treated, Not Fully Cooked Meat and Poultry Products; HACCP-12, Generic HACCP Model for Fully Cooked, Not Shelf-Stable Meat and Poultry Products; HACCP-13, Generic HACCP Model for Beef Slaughter; HACCP-14, Generic HACCP Model for Pork Slaughter; and HACCP-15, Generic HACCP Model for Not Heat Treated, Shelf-Stable Meat and Poultry Products. Ten of the models were developed by the International Meat and Poultry HACCP Alliance, a consortium of academics, industry, and consumer group representatives, on a contractual basis with FSIS. The remaining three models were developed in-house at FSIS in consultation with representatives from other Federal agencies, academia, and industry, who peer reviewed the models. The previously published Guidebook and Guide have been revised and are being reissued for public comment with the HACCP models. Since each HACCP system should be developed by an individual establishment for its specific processes and practices, the generic models are meant to serve as illustrations and were developed as conceptual, informational models. They are not intended and should not serve as blueprints for a specific plant's HACCP plan. Interested persons are invited to evaluate the materials in the 13 generic HACCP models and comment on their use and adaptability, especially by ``small'' and ``very small'' establishments in developing their own plant-specific HACCP plans. Comments are invited on: (a) whether the materials clearly are appropriate as generic models and not blueprints; (b) whether the language conveys unequivocally throughout the document that these are models; (c) whether the models are ``user friendly'' to the extent that they will guide plant owners in developing their own plans at reduced costs; and (d) whether the methodology and the technical assumptions used in the models have validity and utility as guidelines for plant owners. In addition, FSIS is interested in comments on the preferred format for publication of these guidance materials. Done at Washington, DC, on: June 4, 1997. Thomas J. Billy, Administrator. [FR Doc. 97-15333 Filed 6-11-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P