[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 96 (Wednesday, May 19, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27981-27982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-12005]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2010-0013]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission
AGENCY: Office of Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), is sponsoring a public meeting on June 8, 2010. The objective
of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public
comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions that
will be discussed at the 33rd Session of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission (CAC), which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, July 5-9,
2010. The Office of Food Safety recognizes the importance of providing
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on
the 33rd Session of the CAC and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for June 8, 2010, from 1 p.m. to
4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at USDA, Room 107-A, Jamie
L. Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
20250. Documents related to the 33rd Session of the CAC will be
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
The U.S. Delegate to the 33rd Session of the CAC invites interested
U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically to the following
e-mail address [email protected].
Conference Call-in Number
There will be a conference call-in number to the CAC public
meeting. The call-in information is as follows: please call 1-866-692-
3158, when asked for the conference code, please enter: 5986642.
For Further Information About the 33rd Session of the CAC and About
the Public Meeting Contact: Barbara McNiff, U.S. Codex Office, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4861-S, Washington, DC 20250, Telephone:
(202) 690-4719, Fax: (202) 720-3157, E-mail:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) was established in 1963
by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Through
adoption of food standards, codes of practice, and other guidelines
developed by its committees, and by promoting their implementation by
governments, Codex seeks to protect the health of consumers and ensure
fair practices in food trade; and promote coordination of all food
standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-
governmental organizations. The CAC will finalize standards developed
in Codex Committees, and publish them in a Codex Alimentarius either as
regional or worldwide standards.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 33rd Session of the CAC
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Amendments to the Codex Procedural Manual
Draft Standards and Related Texts Submitted to the
Commission for Adoption
Proposed Draft Standards and Related Texts Submitted at
Step 5
Existing Codex Standards and Related Texts whose
Revocation is Recommended
Proposals for the Elaboration of New Standards and Related
Texts
Financial and Budgetary Matters
Strategic Planning of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
General Matters Arising from the Reports of Codex
Committees and Task Forces
FAO/WHO Project and Trust Fund for Enhanced Participation
in Codex
Each issue on the CAC agenda will be described in documents
distributed by the Secretariat prior to the meeting. Members of the
public may access
[[Page 27982]]
copies of these documents (see ADDRESSES).
Public Meeting
At the June 8, 2010, public meeting, draft U.S. positions on the
agenda items will be described and attendees will have the opportunity
to pose questions and offer comments. Written comments may be offered
at the meeting or sent to the U.S. Delegate for the 33rd Session of the
CAC, Karen Stuck, U.S. Codex Manager (see ADDRESSES). Written comments
should state that they relate to activities of the 33rd session of the
CAC.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that
minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this
notice, FSIS will announce it online through the FSIS Web page located
at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/2010_Notices_Index/index.asp.
FSIS will also make copies of this Federal Register publication
available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of information
that could affect or would be of interest to constituents and
stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups,
consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals
who have asked to be included. The Update is also available on the FSIS
Web page. Through the Listserv and Web page, FSIS is able to provide
information to a much broader and more diverse audience. In addition,
FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription service which provides
automatic and customized access to selected food safety news and
information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_and_events/email_subscription/. Options range from recalls to
export information to regulations, directives and notices. Customers
can add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to
password protect their accounts.
Done at Washington, DC on May 13, 2010.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2010-12005 Filed 5-18-10; 8:45 am]
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