March 23/Alexandria, Va./Food and Drug Adminstration Documents and Publications -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responding to objections and is denying requests that it has received for a hearing on the final rule which amended the food additive regulations to provide for the use of a bacteriophage preparation as an antimicrobial agent against Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products. After reviewing the objections to the final rule and the requests for a hearing, the agency has concluded that the objections do not raise issues of material fact that justify a hearing or otherwise provide a basis for revoking the amendment to the regulation. FDA also is denying the request for a stay of the effective date of the final rule.
The effective date of the final rule was published in the Federal Register of August 18, 2006 (71 FR 47729).