[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 68 (Friday, April 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19742-19744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8399]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2011-0007]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission
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), is sponsoring a public meeting on
June 16, 2011. The objective of the public meeting is to provide
information and receive public comments on agenda
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items and draft United States (U.S.) positions that will be discussed
at the 34th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), which
will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, July 4-9, 2011. The Under
Secretary for Food Safety recognizes the importance of providing
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on
the 34th session of the CAC and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for June 16, 2011, from 1 p.m.
to 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Jamie L. Whitten
Building, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 107-A, Washington,
DC 20250.
Documents related to the 34th session of the CAC will be accessible
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
Karen Stuck, U.S. Codex Manager, 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 34th session of the CAC by conference call, please use call-in
number and participant code listed below:
Call-in Number: 1-888-858-2144.
Participant Code: 6208658.
For Further Information About the 34th Session of the CAC Contact:
Karen Stuck, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room
4861, Washington, DC 20250, telephone: (202) 205-7760, fax: (202) 720-
3157, e-mail: [email protected].
For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Barbara
McNiff, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4861,
Washington, DC 20250, telephone: (202) 690-4719, fax: (202) 720-3157,
e-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The CAC 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:
(a) Protect the health of the consumers and ensure fair practices
in food trade;
(b) Promote coordination of all food standards work undertaken by
international governmental and non governmental organizations;
(c) Determine priorities and initiate and guide the preparation of
draft standards through and with the aid of appropriate organizations;
(d) Finalize standards elaborated under (c) above and publish them
in a Codex Alimentarius either as regional or worldwide standards,
together with international standards already finalized by other bodies
under (b) above, wherever this is practicable;
(e) Amend published standards, as appropriate, in the light of new
developments.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 34th session of the CAC
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Report by the Chairperson on the 65th session of the
Executive Committee
Reports of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees and
Appointment of Regional Coordinators
Proposed Amendments to the Procedural Manual
Comments on the Proposed Amendments to the Procedural
Manual
Draft Standards and Related Texts at Step 8 of the
Procedure (including those submitted at Step 5 with a recommendation to
omit Steps 6 and 7 and at Step 5 of the Accelerated Procedure)
Comments on Draft Standards and Related Texts at Step 5
Revocation of Existing Codex Standards and Related Texts
Amendments to Codex Standards and Related Texts
Proposals for the Elaboration of New Standards and Related
Texts and for the Discontinuation of Work
Matters referred to the CAC by Codex Committees and Task
Forces
Financial and Budgetary Matters
Strategic Planning of the CAC
Relations between the CAC and other International
Organizations
Matters arising from the FAO and the WHO
(a) FAO/WHO Project and Trust Fund for Enhanced Participation in
Codex
(b) Other Matters arising from the FAO and the WHO
Election of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairpersons, and other
Members of the Executive Committee
Designation of Countries responsible for Appointing the
Chairpersons of Codex Committees and Task Forces and Schedule of
Sessions 2012-2013
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 34th session of the CAC 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. Codex
Manager for the 34th session of CAC. (See ADDRESSES). Written comments
should state that they relate to activities of the 34th session of the
CAC.
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 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,
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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 March 30, 2011.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2011-8399 Filed 4-7-11; 8:45 am]
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