[Federal Register: October 8, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 195)]
[Notices]
[Page 58060-58061]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08oc03-27]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 03-034N]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United
States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of
Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are
sponsoring two public meetings. The first meeting will be held on
October 22, 2003, to review and receive comments in preparation to
develop draft U.S. positions, and the second will be held on November
12, 2003, to provide information and receive public comments on the
U.S. Draft positions for agenda items that will be discussed at the
Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification
Systems (CCFICS), which will be held in Brisbane, Australia, December
1-5, 2003. The Under Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of
providing interested parties with information on the Twelfth Session of
CCFICS and to address items on the Agenda.
DATES: The public meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, October 22,
2003, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Wednesday, November 12, 2003, from 1
p.m. to 3 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meetings will be held in Room 1A001 of the Harvey
W. Wiley Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy, College Park, MD
(green line, College Park Metro stop).
To receive copies of the documents referenced in this notice,
contact the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Docket Clerk,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, FSIS, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700. The documents will also become
available via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
If you have comments, please send an
original and two copies to the FSIS Docket Clerk and reference Docket
03-034N. All comments submitted will be available for public
inspection in the Docket Clerk's Office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edith Kennard, Staff Officer, U.S.
Codex Office, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 4861, South
Agriculture Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC
20250-3700, telephone (202) 720-5261, Fax: (202) 720-3157.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) was established in 1962
by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Codex is
the major international organization for encouraging fair international
trade in food and protecting the health and economic interests of
consumers. 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 ensure that
the world's food supply is sound, wholesome, free from adulteration,
and correctly labeled. In the United States, USDA, FDA, and EPA manage
and carry out U.S. Codex.
The Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and
Certification Systems was established to develop principles and
guidelines for food import and export inspection and certification
systems to facilitate trade through harmonization and to supply safe
and quality foods to consumers. The CCFICS develops principles and
guidelines for the application of measures by competent authorities to
provide assurance that food comply with essential requirements.
Additionally, the CCFICS develops guidelines for quality assurance
systems to ensure that foods conform with essential requirements.
The following issues will be discussed during the public meetings:
1. Proposed Draft Revision to the Codex Guidelines for the Exchange
of Information on Food Control Emergency Situations.
2. Discussion Paper on Traceability/Product Tracing in the Context
of Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems.
3. Discussion Paper on the Judgment of Equivalence of Technical
Regulations Associated with Food Inspection and Certification Systems.
Additional Public Notification
Public involvement in 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 and informed about the mechanism for providing their
[[Page 58061]]
comments, FSIS will announce it and make copies of this Federal
Register publication available through the FSIS Constituent Update.
FSIS provides a weekly FSIS Constituent Update, which is communicated
via Listserv, a free e-mail subscription service. In addition, the
update is available on line through the Internet at http://www.fsis.usda.gov.
The update is used to provide information regarding
FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal Register notices, FSIS
public meetings, recalls, and any other types of information that could
affect or would be of interest to our constituents and stakeholders.
The constituent Listserv consists of industry, trade, and farm groups,
consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, scientific
professionals, and other individuals who have requested to be included.
Through the Listserv and Web page, FSIS is able to provide information
to a much broader, more diverse audience.
For more information, contact the Congressional and Public Affairs
Office at (202) 720-9113. To be added to the free e-mail subscription
service (Listserv), go to the ``Constituent Update'' page on the FSIS
web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/update.htm. Click on the
``Subscribe to the Constituent Update Listserv'' link, then fill out
and submit the form.
Done at Washington, DC, on October 2, 2003.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex.
[FR Doc. 03-25460 Filed 10-7-03; 8:45 am]