[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 12, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47346-47348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22633]
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Notices
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
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Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 176 / Tuesday, September 12, 1995 /
Notices
[[Page 47346]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 95-040N]
FSIS's Top-to-Bottom Review--Notice of Availability of Report
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing
the availability of a preliminary report entitled ``Top-to-Bottom
Review.'' The report, which consists of four volumes, contains analyses
and options developed by teams of Agency employees who examined the
Agency's future roles, resource allocation and organizational
structure. FSIS particularly seeks comments from all interested parties
concerning the regulatory roles analyses and options found in Volume
II.
DATES: Comments will be accepted through October 31, 1995.
ADDRESS FOR COMMENTS: Comments should be addressed to: Top-to-Bottom
Review, Room 350-E, Administration Building, Food Safety and Inspection
Service, USDA, Washington, DC 20250.
ORDERS: The report may be obtained by contacting the National Technical
Information Service (NTIS), U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port
Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161. Either paper or diskette copies may
be purchased from NTIS.
Orders for the diskette, which contains all four volumes of the
report, should reference NTIS accession number PB95-505392. Orders for
paper copies should reference the accession number for the particular
volume or volumes desired. They are as follows: Volume I: Report
Digest, PB95-265419; Volume II: FSIS Regulatory Roles, PB95-265427;
Volume III: FSIS Structure, PB95-265435; Volume IV: FSIS Resource
Allocation and Other Administrative Subjects, PB95-265443.
For telephone orders or further information on placing an order,
call NTIS at (703) 487-4650 for regular service or (800) 553-NTIS for
rush service. To access the document electronically for ordering and
downloading via FedWorld, dial 703-321-3339 with a modem or Telnet
fedworld.gov. For technical assistance to access FedWorld, call 703-
487-4608.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeanne Axtell or John McCutcheon, Top-
to-Bottom Review Coordinators, Food Safety and Inspection Service,
USDA, Room 350-E Administration Building, Washington, DC, 20250;
telephone (202) 720-3521 or (202) 720-2709, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FSIS is announcing the availability of a
preliminary report titled ``Top-to-Bottom Review.'' 1 Volume I is
a comprehensive digest of the full report. It contains an introduction,
summaries of the findings of all 10 review teams, and appendices.
Volume II contains the findings of three teams that examined the
Agency's regulatory roles of the future. Volume III contains the
findings of three teams that examined the Agency's organizational
structure. Volume IV contains the findings of the remaining four teams
that addressed resource allocation; laboratory resources; supervisory
and managerial roles; and employees' knowledge, skills, abilities and
training.
\1\ The report is available for review in the office of the FSIS
Docket Clerk, Room 4352 South Agriculture Building, Washington, DC
20250.
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The following information provides context for the preliminary
report.
Administrator Michael R. Taylor announced early in 1995 that FSIS
would look at itself ``from top to bottom'' and define for the future
the Agency's regulatory roles, resource allocation, and organizational
structure in a manner consistent with the goals and strategies of the
proposed Pathogen Reduction/HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
Point) regulation. The resulting Top-to-Bottom Review is part of the
Agency's overall initiative to improve the safety of meat and poultry
products and better protect consumers.
The intensive self-examination was prompted also by two other
factors. First, the Federal deficit and the resulting pressure to
reduce government spending mean that FSIS cannot expect significant
increases in its funding in future years. Second, Federal agencies are
under a presidential mandate to streamline headquarters and support
functions and reduce the number of senior-level positions. It is thus
critical to ensure that FSIS is making the best possible use of the
resources it has to improve food safety and meet its other consumer
protection responsibilities.
The review has involved people from all parts of the Agency. A
special effort was made to include as many field representatives as
possible when the 10 working teams were formed.
Outreach Program
An extensive outreach program was conducted for FSIS employees and
constituents. Internal outreach activities were guided by the
conviction that the Agency's employees should be kept fully informed
about the review at every stage and that employees' suggestions should
be solicited and considered throughout the course of the review.
A three-day employee call-in was held June 12-14. About 250
employees participated. An additional 131 sent in written suggestions,
and about 20 more have used the review's electronic mailbox to submit
their views. This feedback, which consisted of well over 1000 ideas,
comments, and questions, was sorted by subject and provided to the
review leaders and teams for consideration.
Constituents received information about the review through a notice
in the Federal Register June 20 and mentions in the FSIS Update, a
weekly newsletter faxed to industry groups, consumer groups, and others
who follow the Agency's activities. Briefings for industry and consumer
representatives were held June 9, with the Administrator and review
leaders presenting status reports and answering questions about the
review. Briefings were also held for Congressional staffs.
Intent of the Report
The preliminary report is the result of creative brainstorming by a
diverse array of knowledgeable FSIS employees responding to the
Administrator's call for bold options. It offers and analyzes a range
of possible actions and is meant to serve as a basis for internal and
external consideration and comment.
The review leaders were concerned about the length of the report,
which
[[Page 47347]]
exceeds 600 pages. They considered consolidating and trimming some of
the material, but decided instead to retain all of it and issue the
preliminary report in the form of several volumes in order to give FSIS
employes and constituents access to the entire body of work produced by
each team. Those who do not want to receive and review the entire
report can read Volume I, where they will find summaries of the
complete versions of the teams' work as presented in Volumes II, III,
and IV.
Some topics are addressed more than once. This apparent duplication
of effort is intentional. While different teams did examine some of the
same issues, they did so independently, applying their own unique
perspective and approach. These differing views will provide the
Agency's management team with a full range of options to consider.
The teams had just 10 weeks to gather the necessary information and
discuss their conclusions. They would have liked more time to write up
the results of the work, but the review leaders elected to issue the
preliminary report on time as a ``work in progress'' rather than delay
it for further development of the underlying analyses or refinement of
the written components. The report serves its purpose of providing
Agency management with a wide range of options. Further analysis will
be conducted, as needed, before decisions are made.
Work of the 10 Review Teams
The 10 teams that conducted the Top-to-Bottom Review are listed
below with a brief and general characterization of their work.
FSIS Regulatory Roles (see Volume II of the Report)
1. Farm-to-Table (Outside the Plant)
This team looked at strategies for ensuring that food safety
programs are functioning throughout the non-plant levels of the farm-
to-table continuum. Possible FSIS roles were considered from the pre-
harvest animal production environment to the end point of preparation
and consumption. At every point, the team found opportunities to reduce
the likelihood of foodborne illness.
2. Inplant Regulatory Roles
This team analyzed three representative types of plants
(processing, poultry slaughter, and livestock slaughter) in order to
identify the possible FSIS inspectional and regulatory roles in each
type of operation, determine how FSIS resources are currently allocated
within plants, identify potential gaps in the current inspection
program's ability to deliver food safety assurances to the public, and
suggest how the gaps might be filled. The team developed a range of
options for conducting antemortem and postmortem inspection and HACCP
validation and verification.
3. Separation of Industry and USDA Roles
The team was charged with determining strategies and techniques to
better define the distinct roles and responsibilities of FSIS and
industry in ensuring food safety. It observed that the roles are
presently commingled because USDA (FSIS) has assumed many management
and consultant functions in the meat and poultry plants it regulates.
The team identified 13 techniques for ``decoupling'' FSIS from the
industry and ``decoupling'' inspection personnel from plants.
FSIS Structure (See Volume III)
4. Organizational Structure
The team was charged with determining the optimal structure needed
for headquarters and the field to carry out the goals and strategies of
the proposed Pathogen Reduction/HACCP regulation, taking into account
the streamlining goals of the Administration and the reinvention
objectives outlined in the National Performance Review. The team
developed a model for a new, highly integrated organizational structure
for FSIS. It considered several ways of streamlining the supervision
and management of the field regulatory programs.
5. Field and Headquarters Support Services
This team was asked to determine what support activities are best
performed in the field and at headquarters. It suggested numerous ways
of modifying the existing structure so that streamlining goals can be
met and some of the resources now used for support services can be
shifted to new food safety initiatives such as HACCP. The team's
approach included looking at ways to combine the regional and area
office functions to eliminate duplication of services and reduce
support staffing.
6. Policy and Regulation Development
The purpose of this team was to examine how policy and regulation
development activities can be better managed within the Agency.
FSIS Resource Allocation and Other Administrative Subjects (See Volume
IV)
7. Optimal Resource Allocation
This team's assignment was to determine the optimal balance between
resources allocated to health and safety activities and those allocated
to economic adulteration, labeling, and misbranding activities. It
looked at how FSIS can allocate resources flexibly, with inspectors'
assignments scheduled according to the risk presented by certain
plants, products, or processes. Several options were considered for
implementing a new resource allocation system.
8. Allocation of Laboratory Resources
The team was charged with determining what level of laboratory
activities is necessary for regulatory oversight of industry operations
and determining what testing should fall to FSIS and what should be
industry's responsibility. Options were developed for using the FSIS
laboratories to support HACCP and other Agency programs.
9. Supervision and Management Roles and Responsibilities
This team was asked to determine the nature of future supervisory
and managerial responsibilities and examine better methods for
delivering technical information. It called for analyzing supervisory
and managerial jobs to determine actual knowledge, skills, and
abilities (KSA's) required to perform successfully in FSIS and
designing programs to provide supervisors and managers with the
necessary level of knowledge and skill in HACCP and pathogen reduction
topics.
10. Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Training
This team looked at the KSA's and training that will be necessary
to carry out the Agency's future roles along the farm-to-table
continuum. It did not, however, address short-term HACCP training for
FSIS employees. Another Agency project is addressing the short-term
training needs for HACCP-based inspection.
Comments Sought
Through October 31, FSIS welcomes comments on the preliminary
report. The Agency is particularly interested in receiving comments on
Volume II: FSIS Regulatory Roles. The topics addressed there directly
affect how the Agency deals with the public, and they relate to
implementation of the proposed Pathogen Reduction/HACCP regulation.
[[Page 47348]]
Volumes III and IV address internal administrative matters
primarily related to organizational structure and resource allocation.
Because of budgetary pressures and the mandate to streamline its
structure, FSIS is moving immediately to examine and further evaluate
these administrative portions of the preliminary report.
Done at Washington, DC, on September 6, 1995.
Michael R. Taylor,
Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety.
[FR Doc. 95-22633 Filed 9-7-95; 2:53 pm]
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