Scope and purpose. (1) This subpart applies to the submission and consideration of petitions under section 403A(b) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the act), by a State or a political subdivision of a State, requesting exemption of a State requirement from preemption under section 403A(a) of the act.

Section 403A(b) of the act provides that where a State requirement has been preempted under section 403A(a) of the act, the State may petition the agency for an exemption. The agency may grant the exemption, under such conditions as it may prescribe by regulation, if the agency finds that the State requirement will not cause any food to be in violation of any applicable requirement under Federal law, will not unduly burden interstate commerce, and is designed to address a particular need for information that is not met by the preemptive Federal requirement.

Definitions. (1) Act means the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321 et seq.).

Agency means the Food and Drug Administration.

Commissioner means the Commissioner of Food and Drugs.

State means a State as defined in section 201(a)(1) of the act (which includes a territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico) or any political subdivision of a State having authority to issue food standards and food labeling regulations having force of law.

State requirement means any statute, standard, regulation, or other requirement that is issued by a State.

Prerequisites for petitions for exemption from preemption. The Food and Drug Administration will consider a petition for exemption from preemption on its merits only if the petition demonstrates that:

The State requirement was enacted or was issued as a final rule by an authorized official of the State and is in effect or would be in effect but for the provisions of section 403A of the act.

The State requirement is subject to preemption under section 403A(a) of the act because of a statutory provision listed in that section or because of a Federal standard or other Federal regulation that is in effect, or that has been published as a final rule with a designated effective date, and that was issued under the authority of a statutory provision listed in that section. For the purposes of this subpart, all petitions seeking exemption from preemption under section 403A(a)(3) through (a)(5) of the act submitted before May 8, 1992, will be considered timely even though the applicable statutory provisions or regulations are not yet in effect.

The petitioner is an official of a State having authority to act for, or on behalf of, the Government in applying for an exemption of State requirements from preemption.

The State requirement is subject to preemption under section 403A(a) of the act because it is not identical to the requirement of the preemptive Federal statutory provision or regulation including a standard of identity, quality, and fill. “Not identical to” does not refer to the specific words in the requirement but instead means that the State requirement directly or indirectly imposes obligations or contains provisions concerning the composition or labeling of food, or concerning a food container, that:

Are not imposed by or contained in the applicable provision (including any implementing regulation) of section 401 or 403 of the act; or

Differ from those specifically imposed by or contained in the applicable provision (including any implementing regulation) of section 401 or 403 of the act.

Form of petition. (1) All information included in the petition should meet the general requirements of § 10.20(c) of this chapter.

An original and one copy of the petition shall be submitted, or the petitioner may submit an original and a computer readable disk containing the petition. Contents of the disk should be in a standard format, such as ASCII format. (Petitioners interested in submitting a disk should contact the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition for details.)

Petitions for exemption from preemption for a State requirement shall be submitted to the Division of Dockets Management in the following form:

The undersigned submits this petition under section 403A(b)of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to request that the Food and Drug Administration exempt a State requirement from preemption.

The undersigned has authority to act for, or on behalf of, the (identify State or political subdivision of the State) because (document petitioner's authority to submit petition on behalf of the State).

1. Identify and give the exact wording of the State requirement and give date it was enacted or issued in final form.

2. Identify the specific standard or regulation that is believed to preempt the State requirement and the section and paragraph of the act that the standard or regulation implements.

Provide a copy of the State requirement that is the subject of the application. Where available, the application should also include copies of any legislative history or background materials used in issuing the requirement, including hearing reports or studies concerning the development or consideration of the requirement.

A petition for an exemption from preemption should contain the following:

1. An explanation of the State requirement and its rationale, and a comparison of State and Federal requirements to show differences.

2. An explanation of why compliance with the State requirement would not cause a food to be in violation of any applicable requirement under Federal law.

3. Information on the effect that granting the State petition will have on interstate commerce. The petition should contain information on economic feasibility, i.e., whether the State and Federal requirements have significantly different effects on the production and distribution of the food product; comparison of the costs of compliance as shown by data or information on the actual or anticipated effect of the State and Federal requirements on the sale and price of the food product in interstate commerce; and the effect of the State requirement on the availability of the food product to consumers. To the extent possible, the petition should include information showing that it is practical and feasible for producers of food products to comply with the State requirement. Such information may be submitted in the form of statements from affected persons indicating their ability to comply.

4. Identification of a particular need for information that the State requirement is designed to meet, which need is not met by Federal law. The petition should describe the conditions that require the State to petition for an exemption, the information need that the State requirement fulfills, the inadequacy of the Federal requirement in addressing this need, and the geographical area or political subdivision in which such need exists.

The petition shall contain a claim for categorical exclusion under 21 CFR 25.24 or an environmental assessment under 21 CFR 25.31.

Provide name and address of person, branch, department, or other instrumentality of the State government that should be notified of the Commissioner's action concerning the petition.

The undersigned certifies, that, to the best knowledge and belief of the undersigned, this petition includes all information and views on which the petition relies.

(Information collection requirements in this section were approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and assigned OMB number 0910-0277)

Submission of petition for exemption; public disclosure. The availability for public disclosure of a petition for exemption will be governed by the rules specified in § 10.20(j) of this chapter.

Agency consideration of petitions. (1) Unless otherwise specified in this section, all relevant provisions and requirements of subpart B of part 10 of this chapter, are applicable to State petitions requesting exemption from Federal preemption under section 403A(b) of the act.

If a petition does not meet the prerequisite requirements of paragraph (c) of this section, the agency will issue a letter to the petitioner denying the petition and stating in what respect the petition does not meet these requirements.

If a petition appears to meet the prerequisite requirements in paragraph (c) of this section, it will be filed by the Division of Dockets Management, stamped with the date of filing, and assigned a docket number. The docket number identifies the file established by the Division of Dockets Management for all submissions relating to the petition, as provided in this part. Subsequent submissions relating to the matter must refer to the docket number and will be filed in the docket file. The Division of Dockets Management will promptly notify the petitioner in writing of the filing and docket number of a petition.

Any interested person may submit written comments to the Division of Dockets Management on a filed petition as provided in § 10.30(d) of this chapter.

Within 90 days of the date of filing the agency will furnish a response to the petitioner. The response will either:

State that the agency has tentatively determined that the petition merits the granting of an exemption, and that it intends to publish in the Federal Register a proposal to grant the exemption through rulemaking;

Deny the petition and state the reasons for such denial; or

Provide a tentative response indicating why the agency has been unable to reach a decision on the petition, e.g., because of other agency priorities or a need for additional information.

If a State submitted a petition for exemption of a State requirement from preemption under section 403A(a)(3) through (a)(5) of the act before May 8, 1992, that State requirement will not be subject to preemption until:

November 8, 1992; or

Action on the petition, whichever occurs later.