[Federal Register: August 1, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 147)]
[Notices]
[Page 43433-43435]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01au06-28]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2006-0021]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: 23rd Session of the Codex
Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting, request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) are sponsoring a public meeting on September 7, 2006 to
provide draft U.S. positions and receive public comments on agenda
items that will be discussed at the 23rd Session of the Codex Committee
on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV) of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission (Codex), which will be held in Arlington, VA, on October 16-
21, 2006. The Under Secretary and AMS recognize the
[[Page 43434]]
importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to comment
on the agenda items that will be debated at this forthcoming Session of
the CCPFV.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 7, 2006,
from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 3074, USDA, South
Agriculture Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC.
Documents related to the 23rd Session of the CCPFV will be accessible
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp
.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) invites interested
persons to submit comments on this notice. Comments may be submitted by
any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: This Web site provides the ability to
type short comments directly into the comment field on this Web page or
attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to http://www.regulations.gov
and, in the ``Search for Open Regulations'' box, select ``Food Safety
and Inspection Service'' from the agency drop-down menu, then click on
``Submit.'' In the Docket ID column, select the FDMS Docket Number
FSIS-2006-0021 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting
and related materials available electronically.
Mail, including floppy disks or CD-ROM's, and hand- or courier-
delivered items: Send to FSIS Docket Room, Docket Clerk, USDA, FSIS,
300 12th Street, SW., Room 102, Cotton Annex Building, Washington, DC
20250.
Electronic mail: fsis.regulationscomments@fsis.usda.gov. All
submissions received must include the Agency name and docket number
FSIS-2006-0021.
All comments submitted in response to this notice, as well as
research and background information used by FSIS in developing this
document, will be posted to the regulations.gov Web site. The
background information and comments also 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.
For Further Information About the 23rd Session of the CCPFV
Contact: U.S. Delegate, Dorian Lafond, International Standards
Coordinator, Fruit and Vegetable Division, Agricultural Marketing
Service, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250,
Phone: (202) 690-4944, Fax: (202) 720-0016, E-mail:
Dorian.Lafond@usda.gov.
For Further Information About The Public Meeting Contact: Ellen
Matten, International Issues Analyst, U.S. Codex Office, USDA, FSIS,
Room 4861, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington,
DC 20250, Phone: (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 720-3157. E-mail:
ellen.matten@fsis.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) was established in 1963
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, and the Environmental Protection Agency
manage and carry out U.S. Codex activities.
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 following items on the agenda for the 23rd Session of CCPFV
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters referred to the Committee from other Codex bodies.
Proposed Layout for Codex Standards for Processed Fruits
and Vegetables.
Draft Codex Standard for Pickled Fruits and Vegetables.
Draft Codex Standard for Processed Tomato Concentrates.
Draft Codex Standard for Preserved (Canned) Tomatoes.
Draft Codex Standard for Certain Canned Citrus Fruits.
Proposed draft Codex Standard for Certain Canned
Vegetables (including provisions for packing media).
Proposed Draft Standard for Jams, Jellies, and Marmalades.
Proposals for Amendments to the Priority List for the
Standardization of Processed Fruits and Vegetables.
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
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp
.
Public Meeting
At the September 7, 2006 public meeting, draft U.S. positions on
these agenda items will be described, 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. Delegate for
the 23rd Session of CCPFV, Dorian Lafond (see For Further Information
About The 23rd Session Of The CCPFV Contact). Written comments should
state that they relate to activities of the 23rd Session of the CCPFV.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of 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, FSIS will announce it on-line through the FSIS Web Page located
at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2006_Notices_Index/. 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 constituents
and stakeholders. The update is communicated via Listserv, a free
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade and farm
groups, consumer interest groups, allied health professionals and other
individuals who have asked to be included. The update is available on
the FSIS Web page. Through the Listserv and Web page, FSIS is able to
provide information to a much broader and 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_and_events/email_subscription/
.
[[Page 43435]]
Options range from recalls to export information to regulations,
directives and notices. Customers can add or delete subscriptions
themselves and have the option to password protect their account.
Done at Washington, DC, on: July 27, 2006.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. E6-12337 Filed 7-31-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P