[Federal Register: February 3, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 22)]
[Notices]
[Page 5120]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03fe04-40]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 03-046N]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Sixth Session of the Codex
Committee on Milk and Milk Products
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection, Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, and the
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), of the
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), are sponsoring a public
meeting on April 13, 2004, to review the technical content of the
agenda item documents and receive comments on all issues coming before
the Sixth Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products,
which will be held in Auckland, New Zealand, April 26-30, 2004.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 13, 2004,
from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 3501, South
Agriculture Building, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 14th Street and
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250.
To receive copies of documents relevant to this notice, contact the
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Docket Room, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, FSIS, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20250-3700. The documents will also become accessible
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.fao.org/codexalimentarius.net.
Send comments, in triplicate, to the FSIS Docket
Room and reference Docket 03-046N. 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; Telephone: (202) 205-7760; Fax: (202) 720-3157. Persons
requiring a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations
should notify Mr. Ali at the above number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
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 Milk and Milk Products was established to
elaborate codes and standards for Milk and Milk Products. The
Government of New Zealand 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:
1. Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other
Codex committees.
2. Review of the Proposed Draft and Draft Revised Standards: Dairy
Spreads; Processed Cheese; Individual Cheeses; and Whey Cheeses.
3. Proposed Standards for Products in Which Milkfat is Substituted
for by Vegetable Fat.
4. Model Export Certificate for Milk Products.
5. Review of Proposals for New Standards for ``Parmesan'',
Fermented Milk Drinks/Products, ``Cheese Specialities'', and a proposal
to revise the Codex Standard for Extra Hard Grating Cheese.
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. 04-2134 Filed 2-2-04; 8:45 am]