[Federal Register: March 27, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 60)]
[Notices]
[Page 16260-16261]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27mr08-19]
[[Page 16260]]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2008-0009]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Food Labeling
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a public
meeting on March 31, 2008. The objective of the public meeting is to
provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and
draft United States positions that will be discussed at the 36th
Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Ottawa, Canada,
on April 28 to May 2, 2008. In addition, a working group on the
Implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Strategy
on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health will meet on April 26, 2008. The
Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of
providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background
information on the 36th Session of the CCFL and to address items on the
agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 31, 2008, from
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 107A, Jamie Whitten
Federal Building, 1200 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250.
Codex documents related to the 36th Session of the CCFL will be
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://
www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
The U.S. Delegate to the CCFL, Dr. Barbara Schneeman, invites
interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically to the
following e-mail address: ccfl@fda.hhs.gov.
For Further Information about the 36th Session of the CCFL Contact:
Dr. Michael Wehr, FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition,
5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740. Phone: (301) 436-
1724, Fax: (301) 436-2618, e-mail: michael.wehr@fda.hhs.gov.
For Further Information about the Public Meeting Contact: Doreen
Chen-Moulec, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and Inspection Service
(FSIS), Room 4861, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20250. Phone: (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 720-3157.
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 WHO. 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 protect the health of consumers and ensure that fair
practices are used in trade.
The CCFL drafts provisions on labeling applicable to all foods;
considers, amends if necessary, and endorses specific provisions on
labeling of draft standards, codes of practice, and guidelines prepared
by other Codex committees; studies specific labeling problems assigned
to it by the Codex Alimentarius Commission; and studies problems
associated with the advertisement of food with particular reference to
claims and misleading descriptions. The CCFL is chaired by Canada.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 36th Session of the CCFL
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters Referred to the CCFL from other Codex Bodies.
Matters Referred by FAO and WHO: Implementation of the WHO
Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health.
Consideration of Labeling Provisions in Draft Codex
Standards.
Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labeling and
Marketing of Organically Produced Foods: Draft Revised Annex 2: Table
3, Draft Amendment: Addition of Ethylene, and Proposal for new work:
Deletion of Rotenone from Annex 2.
Labeling of Foods and Food Ingredients Obtained through
Certain Techniques of Genetic Modification or Genetic Engineering:
Definitions and Labeling Provisions.
Draft Amendment to the General Standard for the Labeling
of Prepackaged Foods: Quantitative Declaration of Ingredients.
Draft Definition of Advertising in Relation to Nutrition
and Health Claims.
Discussion Paper on Modified Standardized Common Names
Each item listed above will be fully described in documents
distributed, or to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the
April 28-May 2, 2008, meeting in Ottawa, Canada. Members of the public
may access these documents on the World Wide Web (see ADDRESSES).
Public Meeting
At the March 31, 2008, public meeting, draft U.S. positions on the
agenda items will be described and discussed, and attendees will have
the opportunity to pose questions and offer comments. Written comments
may be sent electronically to the U.S. Delegate for the CCFL, Dr.
Barbara Schneeman (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that
they relate to activities of the 36th Session of the CCFL.
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 online through the FSIS Web page located
at: (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2008_Notices_Index/. FSIS
will also 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, 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 groups,
consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals
who have asked to be included. The Update is also 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/. Options range from recalls to export information
to regulations, directives and notices. Customers can add or delete
subscriptions themselves, and they have the option to password protect
their accounts.
[[Page 16261]]
Done at Washington, DC, on: March 24, 2008.
Karen L. Hulebak,
Acting U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. E8-6243 Filed 3-26-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P