[Federal Register: August 13, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 156)]
[Notices]
[Page 50157-50158]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13au04-38]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 04-025N]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: 22nd Session of the Codex
Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting, request for comments.
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SUMMARY: This notice informs the public that the Office of the Under
Secretary for Food Safety, United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA), and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA, are
sponsoring a public meeting on August 31, 2004, to provide information
and receive public comments on agenda items that will be discussed at
the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV), which
will be held in Alexandria, Virginia on September 27-October 1, 2004.
The Under Secretary and AMS recognize the importance of providing
interested parties with information about the Processed Fruits and
Vegetables Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and
to address items on the Agenda for the 22nd CCPFV.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 31, 2004,
from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 3501 South Building,
United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., SW.,
Washington, DC. To receive copies of the documents referenced in the
notice contact the Docket Clerk, (FSIS Docket Room), U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 102, Cotton
Annex, 300 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20250. The documents will
also be accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/ccpfv22/pf22_01e.htm. FSIS invites
interested persons to submit comments on this notice. Comments may be
submitted by any of the following methods:
Mail, including floppy disks or CD-ROM's, and hand- or
courier-delivered items: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 300 12th Street, SW.,
Room 102 Cotton Annex, Washington, DC 20250.
All submissions received must include the Agency name and docket
number 04-025N. All comments submitted in response to this notice, as
well as research and background information used by FSIS in developing
this document, will be available for public inspection in the FSIS
Docket Room at the address listed above between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday. The comments also will be posted on the
Agency's Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRDockets.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Matten, U.S. Codex Office, Food
Safety and Inspection Service, Room 4861, South Building, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250, phone: (202) 205-7760,
fax: (202) 720-3157. Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or
other special accommodations should notify Ms. Matten at the above
number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
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
protecting the health and economic interests of consumers and
encouraging fair international trade in food. 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, the Food and Drug Administration of the Department
of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency
manage and carry out U.S. Codex.
The Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables elaborates
world wide standards for various processed fruits and vegetables,
including certain dried and canned products. This committee does not
cover standards for fruit and vegetable juices. The Commission has also
allocated to this Committee the work of revision of standards for quick
frozen fruits and vegetables. The Committee is chaired by the United
States of America.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The provisional agenda items will be discussed during the public
meeting:
1. Adoption of the Agenda.
2. Matters Referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other
Codex Committees.
3. Consideration of Codex Draft Revised Standards at Step 7.
Pickled Products.
4. Consideration of Proposed Draft Codex Standards at Step 4.
Processed Tomato Concentrates.
Canned Tomatoes.
Canned Vegetables, including Guidelines for Packing Media for
Canned Vegetables.
Jams, Jellies and Marmalades.
Soy Sauce.
Canned Citrus Fruits.
5. Proposals for Amendments to the Priority List for the
Standardization of Processed Fruits and Vegetables.
6. Other Business and Future Work.
Methods of Analysis and Sampling for Processed Fruits and
Vegetables.
Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed,
or to be distributed, by the United States' Secretariat to the Meeting.
Members of the public may access or request copies of these documents
(see ADDRESSES).
Public Meeting
At the August 31st public meeting, the agenda items will be
described, discussed, and attendees will have the opportunity to pose
questions and offer comments. Comments may be sent to the FSIS Docket
Room (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they relate to
activities of the 22nd CCPFV, docket number 04-025N.
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.
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, recalls, 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.
[[Page 50158]]
Through Listserv and the Web page, FSIS is able to provide information
to a much broader, more diverse audience.
Done in Washington, DC on August 9, 2004.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 04-18500 Filed 8-12-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P