[Federal Register: February 3, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 22)]
[Notices]
[Page 5118]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03fe04-38]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 03-044N]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Twenty-sixth Session of the Codex
Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, of the
Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a public
meeting on February 10, 2004, to review the technical contents of the
agenda item documents and to receive comments on all issues coming
before the Twenty-sixth Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of
Analysis and Sampling, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, March
8-12, 2004.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 10, 2004
from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Harvey Wiley Federal
Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, Maryland 20740,
Conference Room 1A 002.
To receive copies of the documents relevant to this notice, contact
the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Docket Clerk, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room
102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th Street SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700. The
documents will also be accessible via the World Wide Web at the
following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net.
Send comments (an original and two copies) to the FSIS Docket Clerk
and reference Docket 03-044N. All comments submitted in
response to this notice will be available for public inspection in the
FSIS Docket Room between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Syed Amjad Ali, International Issues
Analyst, U.S. Codex Office, FSIS, Room 4861, South Agriculture
Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700,
telephone (202) 205-7760; Fax (202) 720-3157. Persons requiring a sign
language interpreter or other special accommodations should notify Dr.
Gregory Diachenko, Director, Division of Chemistry Research and
Environmental Review, FDA, at telephone (301) 436-1898; Fax (301) 436-
2634.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) was established in 1962
by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture
Organization and the World Health Organization. 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. The Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and
Sampling (CCMAS) performs multiple functions; defines criteria
appropriate for Codex Methods of Analysis and Sampling; specifies
reference methods of analysis and sampling; endorses methods of
analysis and sampling proposed by Codex Committees; elaborates sampling
plans; and considers specific sampling and analysis problems. The
Government of Hungary hosts this committee and will chair the Committee
meeting.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following specific issues will be discussed during the public
meeting:
Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius
Commission and other Codex Committees.
Proposed Draft General Guidelines on Sampling.
Proposed Draft Guidelines on Measurement
Uncertainty.
Proposed Draft Guidelines for Evaluating
Acceptable Methods of Analysis.
Proposed Draft Guidelines for Settling Disputes
on Analytical (Test) Results.
Criteria for Methods of Analysis for Foods
Derived from Biotechnology.
The Use of Analytical Results: Sampling,
Relationship between the Analytical Results, the Measurement
Uncertainty, Recovery Factors and the Provisions in Codex Standards.
Endorsement of Methods of Analysis and Sampling,
including General Methods Provisions in Codex Standards.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to better ensure
that minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this
notice, FSIS will announce it and make copies of this Federal Register
publication available through the FSIS Constituent Update. FSIS
provides a weekly Constituent Update, which is communicated via
Listserv, a free e-mail subscription service. In addition, the update
is available on-line through the FSIS web page located 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/stakeholders. The
constituent Listserv consists of industry, trade, and farm groups,
consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, scientific
professionals, and other individuals that 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/update.htm. Click on the
``Subscribe to the Constituent Update Listserv'' link, then fill out
and submit the form.
Done at Washington, DC, on January 29, 2004.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 04-2132 Filed 2-2-04; 8:45 am]