[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 191 (Monday, October 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61119-61120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24767]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2010-0032]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Food Hygiene
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a public meeting on
November 2, 2010. The objective of the public meeting is to provide
information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S.
positions that will be discussed at the 42nd Session of the Codex
Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
(Codex), which will be held in Kampala, Uganda, from November 29
through December 3, 2010. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA
recognize the importance of providing interested parties the
opportunity to obtain background information on the 42nd session of the
CCFH and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 2, 2010,
from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the USDA, Whitten
Building,
[[Page 61120]]
1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 107-A, Washington, DC 20250.
Documents related to the 42nd Session of the CCFH will be accessible
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
Call In Information:
Call in Number: 1-866-692-3158.
Passcode: 5986642.
The U.S. Delegate to the 42nd Session of the CCFH, Ms. Jenny Scott,
invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically
to the following e-mail address [email protected].
For Further Information About the 42nd Session of the CCFH Contact:
Barbara McNiff, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4870, Washington,
DC 20250, (202) 690-4719, [email protected].
For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Jasmine
Matthews, Program Analyst, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Room 4861, Washington, DC 20250, (202) 690-1124,
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The 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 adoption and implementation by governments,
Codex seeks to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair
practices in the food trade.
The CCFH was established to draft basic provisions on food hygiene
applicable to all food; to consider, amend if necessary, and endorse
provisions on hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and
contained in Codex codes of practice unless, in specific cases, the
Codex has decided otherwise; to draft provisions on hygiene applicable
to specific food items or food groups, whether coming within the terms
of reference of a Codex commodity committee or not; to consider
specific hygiene problems assigned to it by the Codex; to suggest and
prioritize areas where there is a need for microbiological risk
assessment at the international level; to develop questions to be
addressed by the risk assessors; and, to consider microbiological risk
management matters in relation to food hygiene, including food
irradiation, and in relation to the risk assessment of FAO and WHO.
The CCFH is hosted by the United States of America.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 42nd Session of the CCFH
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters Referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and
Other Codex Committees to the CCFH
Matters Arising from the Work of FAO, WHO, and Other
International Intergovernmental Organizations:
(a) Progress Report on the Joint FAO and WHO Expert Meetings on
Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) and Related Matters
(b) Information from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter
and Salmonella spp. in Chicken Meat at Step 4.
Proposed Draft Guidelines on the Application of General
Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Viruses in Food at Step 4.
Proposed Draft Revision of the Recommended International
Code of Hygenic Practice for Collecting, Processing, and Marketing of
Natural Mineral Waters at Step 4.
Proposed Draft Revision of the Principles for the
Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Foods at
Step 4.
Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed,
or to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the meeting. Members
of the public may access copies of these documents (see ADDRESSES).
Public Meeting
At the November 2, 2010, public meeting, draft U.S. positions on
the agenda items will be described and discussed, 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 42nd Session of the CCFH, Jenny Scott (see ADDRESSES). Written
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 42nd
Session of the CCFH.
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination
in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color,
national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs,
sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited
bases apply to all programs.)
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape,
etc.) should contact USDA's Target Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TTY).
To file a written complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TTY).
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that the
public and in particular minorities, women, and persons with
disabilities, are aware of this notice, FSIS will announce it on-line
through the FSIS Web page located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2010_Notices_Index/.
FSIS also will 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 our constituents and
stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free e-mail
subscription service consisting of industry, trade, and farm groups,
consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, scientific
professionals, and other individuals who have requested to be included.
The Update also is available on the FSIS Web page. Through Listserv and
the Web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader,
more diverse audience. In addition, FSIS offers an e-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_&_Events/Email_Subscription/.
Options range from recalls, export information, 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 September 28, 2010.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2010-24767 Filed 10-1-10; 8:45 am]
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