This part is issued pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) as amended (5 U.S.C. 552), and in accordance with the directives of the Department of Agriculture regulations in part 1, subpart A, of Title 7. The availability of records, including electronic records created on or after November 1, 1996, of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and the procedures by which the public may request such information, will be governed by the FOIA and by the Department regulations as implemented and supplemented by the regulations in this part.

FSIS rules and regulations relating to its regulatory responsibilities and administrative procedures are published and made available to the public in the Federal Register and codified in chapter III, title 9, of the Code of Federal Regulations. FSIS also issues numerous publications relating to Agency programs, which implement the laws listed in the Delegation of Authority, 7 CFR 2.15(a). Most of these publications are available free from the USDA Publications Division, Office of Governmental and Public Affairs, or at established rates from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, 20402-9328.

(a) Pursuant to the regulations in 7 CFR 1.4(c), FSIS will maintain and make available for public inspection and copying an index providing identifying information regarding the materials required to be published or made available under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552(a)(2)). The Agency will make the index available by computer telecommunications by December 31, 1999. Quarterly publication of the index is unnecessary and impractical, since the material is voluminous and does not change often enough to justify the expense of quarterly publication. The Agency will provide copies of any index, upon request, at a cost not to exceed direct cost of duplication.

(b) FSIS is responsible for preparing reference material or a guide for requesting records or information from the Agency. This guide also will include an index of all major information systems and a description of major information and record locator systems.

(c) FSIS will prepare a handbook for obtaining information from the Agency. The handbook will be available on paper and through electronic means, and will discuss how the public can use it to access Agency FOIA annual reports. Similarly, the annual reports will refer to the handbook and how to obtain it.

Facilities for public inspection and copying of the material described in §§ 390.2 and 390.3 of this part will be provided by FSIS pursuant to 7 CFR 1.5(a) in a reading area, on business days between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., upon request to the Freedom of Information Coordinator or designee at the following address:

(a) The FOIA Coordinator of FSIS is authorized to receive requests and to exercise authority under 7 CFR 1.3(a) to—

(1) Make determinations to grant or deny such requests,

(2) Extend the 20-day deadline,

(3) Make discretionary releases of exempt records, except where disclosure is specifically prohibited by Executive Order, statute, and applicable regulations,

(4) Consider expedited processing when appropriate,

(5) Make determinations regarding the charging of fees pursuant to the established schedule, and

(6) Determine the applicability of 7 CFR 1.5 to requests for records.

(b) Requests for FSIS records or information will be made in writing in accordance with 7 CFR 1.5 and submitted to the FSIS Freedom of Information Act Coordinator at the following address:

The submitter will identify each record with reasonable specificity as prescribed in 7 CFR 1.3. All requests to inspect or obtain copies of any record or to obtain a fee waiver must be submitted in writing.

(c) In exercising authority under 7 CFR 1.3(a)(3) to grant and deny requests, the Coordinator or designee will comply with subsection (b) of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552(b)), as amended, which requires that any reasonably segregated portion of a document will be provided to a person requesting the document after deletion of any portions within the scope of the request for which an exemption is being claimed under the Act. Therefore, unless the disclosable and nondisclosable portions are so inextricably linked that it is not reasonably possible to separate them, the document will be released with the nondisclosable portions deleted. The Coordinator or designee may exercise discretion as limited by 7 CFR l.15 to release the entire document or make only a minimum number of deletions. If portions of a document in electronic format have been redacted, the Agency must indicate, on the released portion of the document, the amount of information that has been deleted from a record, unless that indication would harm an interest protected by an applicable exemption.

Department regulations provide for a schedule of reasonable standard charges for document search and duplication. See 7 CFR 1.17. Fees to be charged are in 7 CFR part 1, subpart A, appendix A.

(a) If the request for information or for a waiver of search or duplication is denied, in whole or in part, the FOIA Coordinator or designee will explain in the letter of response the grounds for any denial of access and offer the requester an opportunity to file an administrative appeal, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.3(a)(4). The appeal should be filed in writing within 45 days of the date of denial (departmental regulations, 7 CFR 1.14) and addressed as follows:

(b) The FSIS Administrator is authorized under 7 CFR 1.3(a)(4) to extend the 20-day deadline, make discretionary releases, and make determinations regarding the charging of fees.

(a) The response to Freedom of Information requests and appeals by officials named in §§ 390.5 and 390.7 of this part shall be governed by and made in accordance with 7 CFR 1.7 and the regulations in this part.

(b) If requests for records and information are received by field offices, the field office will immediately notify the FOIA Coordinator or designee by telephone and transmit the request to the FOIA office. In rare instances, the FOIA Coordinator or designee will authorize a release of the requested records to the field office receiving the request. The request will be considered as having been received on the date of arrival in the office of the Coordinator or designee. Any person whose request for records has been granted may inspect and copy the records (or copies) at the office listed in § 390.4 of this part in accordance with the provisions of that section and with § 390.6. Copies also may be obtained by mail.

(a) The Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), or designee, may authorize the disclosure of distribution lists (records that show where and when product was shipped) obtained from a firm recalling products, or incorporated into agency-prepared records, to State and other Federal government agencies to verify the removal of the recalled product, provided that:

(1) The State agency has provided both a written statement establishing its authority to protect confidential distribution lists from public disclosure and a written commitment not to disclose any information provided by FSIS, without the written permission of the submitter of the information or written confirmation by FSIS that the information no longer has confidential status. Federal government agencies must provide a written commitment not to disclose the information and to refer any request for distribution lists to FSIS for response; and

(2) The Administrator of FSIS or designee determines that disclosure would be in the interest of public health.

(b) This provision does not authorize the disclosure to State or other Federal government agencies of trade secret information, unless otherwise provided by law or pursuant to an express written authorization provided by the submitter of the information.

(c) Information disclosed under this section is not a disclosure of information to the public. Disclosures made under this section do not waive any FOIA exemption protection.

The Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service will make publicly available the names and locations of retail consignees of recalled meat or poultry products that the Agency compiles in connection with a recall where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product could cause serious adverse health consequences or death.

(a) USDA/FSIS-0005, AssuranceNet system of records, is exempt from subsections (c)(3), (d)(1)-(4), (e)(1), (e)(4)(G)-(I), and (f) of the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a, to the extent it contains investigatory material compiled for law enforcement purposes in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(k)(2). Exemptions from the particular subsections are justified for the following reasons:

(1) From subsection (c)(3) because the release of the disclosure accounting would permit the subject of an investigation to obtain valuable information concerning the nature of that investigation. This would permit record subjects to impede the investigation, e.g., destroy evidence, intimidate potential witnesses, or flee the area to avoid inquiries or apprehension by law enforcement personnel.

(2) From subsection (d)(1) because the records contained in this system relate to official Federal investigations and matters of law enforcement. Individual access to these records might compromise ongoing or impending investigations, reveal confidential informants, or constitute unwarranted invasions of the personal privacy of third parties who are involved in a certain investigation.

(3) From section (d)(2) because amendment of the records would interfere with ongoing law enforcement proceedings and impose an impossible administrative burden by requiring investigations to be continuously reinvestigated.

(4) From subsections (d)(3) and (4) because these subsections are inapplicable to the extent exemption is claimed from subsections (d)(1) and (2).

(5) From subsection (e)(1) because it is often impossible to determine in advance if investigatory information contained in this system is accurate, relevant, timely and complete, but, in the interests of effective law enforcement, it is necessary to retain this information to aid in establishing patterns of activity and provide investigative leads. Moreover, it would impede the specific investigative process if it were necessary to assure the relevance, accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of all information obtained.

(6) From subsections (e)(4)(G) and (H) since an exemption being claimed for subsection (d) makes these subsections inapplicable.

(7) From subsection (e)(4)(I) because the categories of sources of the records in this system have been published in the Federal Register in broad generic terms in the belief that this is all that subsection (e)(4)(I) requires. In the event, however, that subsection (e)(4)(I) should be interpreted to require more detail as to the identity of sources of the records in the system, exemption from this provision is necessary in order to protect the confidentiality of the sources of enforcement information and of witnesses and informants.

(8) From subsection (f) to the extent that the system is exempt from other specific subsections of the Privacy Act.

(b) [Reserved]