[Federal Register: July 29, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 146)]
[Notices]
[Page 43912-43913]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29jy08-21]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2008-0021]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Processed Fruits and Vegetables
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 (USDA), and the Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) are hosting a public meeting on August 14th, 2008. The
objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive
public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions for
the 24th Session of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and
Vegetables (CCPFV), which will be held in Arlington, VA (Washington,
DC, metro area), September 15-20, 2008. The Under Secretary for Food
Safety and AMS recognize the importance of providing interested parties
the opportunity to obtain background information on this forthcoming
Session of CCPFV and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 14, 2008,
from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 2068, USDA, South
Agriculture Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC.
Documents related to the 24th Session of CCPFV will be accessible via
the World Wide Web at the following address: http://
www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
The U.S. Delegate to the 24th Session of the CCPFV, Dorian LaFond,
AMS, invites interested parties to submit their comments electronically
to the following e-mail address dorian.lafond@usda.gov.
For Further Information About the 24th Session of CCPFV Contact: 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: Doreen Chen-
Moulec, 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:
Doreen.chen-moulec@fsis.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Codex Alimentarius (Codex) was established in 1963 by two
United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and
the World Health Organization. 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 Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables is hosted by
the United States. It elaborates new and revised worldwide standards
for various processed fruits and vegetables, including certain dried
and canned products. This committee does not cover standards for fruit
and vegetable juices.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the Agenda for the 24th 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 Standards for Jams, Jellies and Marmalades;
Draft Codex Standard for Certain Canned Vegetables
(General Provisions);
Proposed Draft Annexes Specific to Certain Canned
Vegetables (Draft Codex Standard for Certain Canned Vegetables);
Proposed Draft Guidelines for Packing Media on Canned
Vegetables;
Proposed Draft Sampling Plans, including Methodological
Provisions for Controlling Minimum Drained Weight of Canned Fruits and
Vegetables in Packing Media;
Proposals for Amendments to the Priority List for the
Standardization of Processed Fruits and Vegetables;
Methods of Analysis for Processed Fruits and Vegetables;
and
Food Additive Provisions for Processed Fruits and
Vegetables.
Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, or
to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the Meeting. Members of
the public may access or request copies of these documents (see
ADDRESSES).
Public Meeting
At the August 14th, 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 offered at the meeting or sent to the U.S. Delegate for
the 24th Session of CCPFV, Dorian LaFond (see For Further Information
About the 24th Session of the CCPFV Contact). Written comments should
state that they relate to activities of the 24th 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/2008_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 groups,
consumer interest groups, health professionals,
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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.
Done at Washington, DC, on July 23, 2008.
Paulo Almeida,
Acting U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. E8-17257 Filed 7-28-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P