Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards

DATES:

Either electronic or written comments on the collection of information must be submitted by September 15, 2026.

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-2026-N-7338 for "Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards." 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, 240-402-7500.

• 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." The Agency will review this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in its 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.govinfo.gov/content/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, 240-402-7500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), Federal Agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. "Collection of information" is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and includes Agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) requires Federal Agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, FDA is publishing notice of the proposed collection of information set forth in this document.

With respect to the following collection of information, FDA invites comments on these topics: (1) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA's functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FDA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information technology.

Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards

OMB Control Number 0910-0621-Extension

This information collection helps support implementation of FDA's Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (the Retail Program Standards). Regulatory Program Standards play a critical role in an integrated food safety system and serve as the foundation for mutual reliance between FDA and other regulatory agencies that work to ensure food safety. The Retail Program Standards define what constitutes a highly effective and responsive program for the regulation of foodservice and retail food establishments. The Retail Program Standards are intended to provide a foundation upon which continuous improvements can be made with the ultimate goal to reduce the occurrence of factors that cause and contribute to foodborne illness. In support of this goal, FDA works cooperatively with our State, local, territorial, and tribal partners using a risk-based approach to leverage limited resources. We engage in education and outreach efforts to facilitate collaboration with our partners in food safety. The Retail Program Standards represent an important component of a comprehensive strategic approach to help ensure the safety and security of the food supply at the retail level.

The Retail Program Standards were revised most recently in November 2024 and include the following elements: (1) regulatory foundation; (2) trained regulatory staff; (3) inspection program based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles; (4) uniform inspection program, (5) foodborne illness and food defense preparedness and response; (6) compliance and enforcement; (7) industry and community relations; (8) program support and resources; and (9) program assessment. These elements are enumerated and discussed on our website at https://www.fda.gov/food/voluntary-national-retail-food-regulatory-program-standards/voluntary-national-retail-food-regulatory-program-standards-november-2024 along with worksheets and assessments that allow FDA to determine conformance with the Retail Program Standards. State, local, territorial, tribal, and Federal regulatory agencies that participate in the voluntary program are required to report information demonstrating that a program self-assessment, a risk factor study of the regulated industry, and an independent outside audit (verification audit) have been completed. The information also includes Form FDA 3958, "Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards FDA National Registry Report," which may be completed electronically at https://www.fda.gov/food/voluntary-national-retail-food-regulatory-program-standards/voluntary-national-retail-food-regulatory-program-standards-november-2024.

We have created a dedicated email at [email protected] to receive requests for program documentation and the following instruments to support the standardization of food safety inspection officer candidates:

• Form FDA 5017, "Standardized Retail Food Safety Inspection Officer Waiver of Annual Maintenance Requirement," pertains to requests for waivers from maintenance requirements, referenced in section 3-403 of the "FDA Procedures for Standardization of Retail Food Safety Inspection Officers." FDA uses the information submitted on Form FDA 5017 to determine a retail food safety inspection officer's eligibility for restandardization.
• Form FDA 5018, "Standardized Retail Food Safety Inspection Officer Annual Maintenance Form," provides verification that a retail food safety inspection officer has met program standardization requirements in accordance with section 3-403 of the "FDA Procedures for Standardization of Retail Food Safety Inspection Officers."
• Form FDA 5019, "Standardized Retail Food Safety Inspection Officer Nomination Form," allows FDA to collect qualification information from retail food safety inspection officer candidates.

Description of Respondents: Respondents to the information collection are State, local, territorial, and tribal regulatory agencies.

We estimate the burden of this collection of information as follows:

Our estimate of burden for the associated program activities as identified in table 1 is based on our experience with the information collection, along with other regulatory standards programs we administer. Based on a review of the information collection since our last request for OMB approval, we have made no adjustments to our burden estimate.