(a) Request for hearing. No later than 3 business days after FDA has issued the directed food laboratory order, an owner or consignee may submit a request for a regulatory hearing, conducted pursuant to part 16 of this chapter, on the directed food laboratory order. The directed food laboratory order will contain all of the elements required by § 16.22 of this chapter and will thereby constitute the notice of an opportunity for hearing under part 16 of this chapter.

(b) Submission of request for regulatory hearing. The request for a regulatory hearing must be submitted with a written appeal that responds to the bases, as appropriate, for FDA's determinations described in the directed food laboratory order, together with any supporting information. The request, appeal, and supporting information must be submitted in accordance with the procedures described in the directed food laboratory order.

(c) Presiding officer. The presiding officer for a regulatory hearing under this subpart will be designated after a request for a regulatory hearing is submitted to FDA.

(d) Denial of a request for regulatory hearing. The presiding officer may deny a request for regulatory hearing under this subpart pursuant to § 16.26(a) of this chapter.

(e) Conduct of regulatory hearing. (1) If the presiding officer grants a request for a regulatory hearing, such hearing will be held within 2 business days after the date the request was filed or, if applicable, within a timeframe agreed upon in writing by the requestor and the presiding officer and FDA.

(2) The presiding officer may require that a hearing conducted under this subpart be completed within 1 business day, as appropriate.

(3) The presiding officer must conduct the hearing in accordance with part 16 of this chapter, except that, pursuant to § 16.5(b) of this chapter, the procedures for a regulatory hearing described in part 16 of this chapter apply only to the extent that such procedures are supplementary and not in conflict with the procedures specified for the conduct of regulatory hearings under this subpart. Accordingly, the following requirements of part 16 of this chapter are inapplicable to regulatory hearings conducted under this subpart: § 16.22 (Initiation of regulatory hearing); § 16.24(e) (timing) and (f) (contents of notice); § 16.40 (Commissioner); § 16.60(a) (public process); § 16.95(b) (administrative decision and record for decision); and § 16.119 (Reconsideration and stay of action).

(4) A decision by the presiding officer to affirm the directed food laboratory order is considered a final agency action under 5 U.S.C. 702.