[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 160 (Wednesday, August 19, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50263-50264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20435]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2015-0033]
Availability of Updated FSIS Food Standards and Labeling Policy
Book
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of availability and opportunity for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing
the Agency's intent to revise the Food Standards and Labeling Policy
Book. The Agency has stopped adding policy guidance to it; however,
FSIS will continue to amend or remove items in the book, as necessary,
to remain consistent with Agency policies and regulations. The revised
Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book will provide updated
information for establishments to use when creating new labels and when
modifying existing labels for meat and poultry products.
DATES: Submit comments on or before October 19, 2015.
ADDRESSES: A downloadable version of the Food Standards and Labeling
Policy Book is available for viewing and printing at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulatory-compliance/labeling/Labeling-Policies. No hard copies have been published.
FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments on this notice.
Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: This Web site provides the ability to
type short comments directly into the comment field on this Web page or
attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/
. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for submitting comments.
Mail, including CD-ROMs: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Patriots Plaza 3, 1400
Independence Avenue SW., Mailstop 3782, Room 8-163B, Washington, DC
20250-3700.
Hand- or courier-delivered submittals: Deliver to Patriots Plaza 3,
355 E Street SW., Room 8-163A, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must
include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2015-0033. 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 to comments received,
go to the FSIS Docket Room at Patriots Plaza 3, 355 E Street SW., Room
164-A, Washington, DC 20250-3700 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel L. Engeljohn, Ph.D., Assistant
Administrator, Office of Policy and Program Development; Telephone:
(202) 205-0495, or by Fax: (202) 720-2025.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
FSIS is responsible for ensuring that the Nation's commercial
supply of meat and poultry is safe, wholesome, and properly labeled and
packaged.
On November 7, 2013, FSIS published the final rule ``Prior Label
Approval Systems: Generic Label Approval.'' This final rule amended the
meat and poultry products inspection regulations to expand the
circumstances under which labels of meat and poultry products would be
deemed to be generically approved by the Agency (78 FR 66826).
Effective January 6, 2014, FSIS regulations (9 CFR 412.1(c))
require only four categories of labels to be submitted to the Labeling
and Program Delivery Staff (LPDS) for approval. One category requiring
the submission of labels is special statements and claims (9 CFR
412.1(c)(3)), as described in 9 CFR 412.1(e). Under this paragraph,
special statements and claims that are defined in FSIS's regulations or
in its Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book, except for ``natural''
and negative claims, and that comply with those regulations and
policies, are deemed to be approved by the Agency without being
submitted for evaluation and approval.
Comments that FSIS had received in response to the December 5,
2011, proposal (76 FR 75809) that preceded the final rule asked the
Agency to update its Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book. In
response to these comments, FSIS decided to stop adding new policy
guidance to the book but to continue to amend or remove items in the
book, as necessary.
FSIS has revised the ``Chicken Cordon Bleu'' entry in response to a
petition submitted to the Agency and removed the entry for ``Ham,
Smithfield'' to ensure consistency with the regulations on the use of
geographic terminology on labeling (9 CFR 317.8(b)(1). FSIS announced
these changes in its Constituent Update.\1\ This calendar year
[[Page 50264]]
FSIS will revise the ``Caddies'' entry in the Food Standards and
Labeling Policy Book in response to a petition submitted to the Agency
to reflect current industry practice. Also, this calendar year, FSIS
will update the entry for ``Heart Meat'' to reflect the regulatory
definition for meat in 9 CFR 301.2 and will modify the entry for
``Quality Grade Terms and Subjective Terms on Labels'' to make it
consistent with the Agricultural Marketing Service policy on such
terms. FSIS will announce these changes and all other future revisions
of the book in the FSIS Constituent Update, which is accessible on the
Agency's Web site at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/meetings/newsletters/constituent-updates/constituent-updates-2015. The Agency will convey new labeling guidance by other means, such
as compliance policy guides and will announce them through the
Constituent Update or other appropriate means.
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\1\ See http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/meetings/newsletters/constituent-updates/archive/2015/ConstUpdate040315; http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/meetings/newsletters/constituent-updates/archive/2015/ConstUpdate050115.
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USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status,
income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs,
exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to
discrimination any person in the United States under any program or
activity conducted by the USDA.
To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you or your
authorized representative.
Send your completed complaint form or letter to USDA by mail, fax,
or email:
Mail
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication,
1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410.
Fax
(202) 690-7442.
Email
[email protected].
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, FSIS will announce this Federal
Register publication on-line through the FSIS Web page located at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
FSIS also will make copies of this 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 our constituents and
stakeholders. The Update is available on the FSIS Web page. Through the
Web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader, more
diverse audience. In addition, FSIS offers an email 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 recalls to export
information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or
delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to password-
protect their accounts.
Done at Washington, DC on: August 12, 2015.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2015-20435 Filed 8-18-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P