FSIS, FDA and CDC recently announced a public meeting to discuss federal efforts to enhance food safety strategies through improved use and characterization of foodborne illness source attribution. The meeting will be held in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. This meeting, originally scheduled to be held in the South Building's cafeteria, has now been moved to the Jefferson Auditorium.

Discussions will include federal approaches to food source attribution and outline efforts to develop harmonized food source attribution fractions to inform food safety strategies. The meeting also will be used to review a draft strategic plan developed by the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration, which was formed in 2011 to increase collaboration on analytic projects.

Individuals wishing to attend are encouraged to pre-register. Registration closes on Jan. 25 and can be done online at www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/meetings_&_events. The deadline to register to make a public comment during the meeting is Jan. 9.

The meeting will be held at USDA's South Building, Jefferson Auditorium, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250. Non-USDA employees must provide photo identification to enter the building.

For general information, requests to make an oral presentation or to request special accommodations due to a disability, contact Juanita Yates, FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition , at (240) 402-1731 or Joan Lindenberger, FSIS, at (202) 720-6755.