[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 13 (Thursday, January 20, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3603-3604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1147]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2010-0043]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Methods of Analysis and Sampling
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), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), are
sponsoring a public meeting on February 9, 2011. 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 32nd session of the Codex Committee on Methods of
Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
(Codex), which will be held in Budapest, Hungary March 7-11, 2011. The
Under Secretary for Food Safety and the FDA recognize the importance of
providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background
information on the 32nd session of the CCMAS and to address items on
the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for February 9, 2011, from 11
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at FDA, Harvey Wiley
Building, Room 2B047, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD
20740. Documents related to the 32nd session of the CCMAS will be
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
Gregory Diachenko, U.S. Delegate to the 32nd session of the CCMAS,
and the FDA, invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments
electronically to the following e-mail address:
[email protected].
Call In Number:
If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 32nd
session of the CCMAS by conference call, please use the following call
in number and participant code listed below.
Call in Number: 1-866-859-5767.
Participant code: 2225276.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 32nd SESSION OF THE CCMAS CONTACT:
Gregory Diachenko, PhD, Director, Division of Product Manufacture and
Use Office of Premarket Approval, CFSAN, FDA, Harvey W. Wiley Federal
Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740-3835,
Phone: (301) 436-2387, Fax: (301) 436-2364, E-mail:
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLIC MEETING CONTACT: Marie
Maratos, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4861,
Washington, DC 20250. Phone: (202) 690-4795, Fax: (202) 412-7901, E-
mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Codex was established in 1963 by two United Nations organizations,
the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health
Organization. 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 that fair practices are used
in trade.
The CCMAS is responsible for defining the criteria appropriate to
Codex Methods of Analysis and Sampling; serving as a coordinating body
for Codex with other international groups working in methods of
analysis and sampling and quality assurance systems for laboratories;
specifying the basis of final recommendations submitted to it by other
bodies; considering, amending, and endorsing, methods of analysis and
sampling proposed by Codex (Commodity) Committees, except that methods
of analysis and sampling for residues of pesticides or veterinary drugs
in food, the assessment of microbiological quality and safety in food,
and the assessment of specifications for food additives, do not fall
within the terms of reference of this Committee; elaborating sampling
plans and procedures; considering specific sampling and analysis
problems submitted to it by Codex or any of its Committees; and
defining procedures, protocols, guidelines or related texts for the
assessment of food laboratory proficiency, as well as quality assurance
systems for laboratories.
The Committee is hosted by Hungary.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 32nd session of the CCMAS
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters Referred to the Committee by the Codex and Other
Codex Committees
Draft Revised Guidelines on Measurement Uncertainty
Endorsement of Methods of Analysis Provisions in Codex
Standards
Guidance on Procedures for Conformity Assessment and
Resolution of Disputes
Use of Proprietary Methods in Codex Standards
Report of an Inter-Agency Meeting on Methods of Analysis
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 February 9, 2011, 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 32nd session of the CCMAS, Greg Diachenko (see ADDRESSES). Written
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 32nd
session of the CCMAS.
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
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
[[Page 3604]]
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_&_policies/Federal_Register_Notices/index.asp.
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 January 12, 2011.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2011-1147 Filed 1-19-11; 8:45 am]
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