[Federal Register: March 5, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 43)]
[Notices]
[Page 10206-10207]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05mr10-18]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2010-0007]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Contaminants in Food
AGENCY: Office of Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS), are sponsoring a public meeting on
March 29, 2010. The objective of the public meeting is to provide
information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft
United States (U.S.) positions that will be discussed at the 4th
Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) of the
Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Izmir,
Turkey, April 26-30, 2010. The Office of Food Safety and FDA recognize
the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to
obtain background information on the 4th Session of the CCCF and to
address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 29, 2010, from
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at Harvey W. Wiley Federal
Building, Room 1A-001, FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition (CFSAN), 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740.
Documents related to the 4th Session of the CCCF will be accessible via
the World Wide Web at the following address: http://
www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
The U.S. Delegate to the CCCF, Dr. Nega Beru, invites interested
U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically to the following
e-mail address: Henry.Kim@fda.hhs.gov.
Registration: Register electronically to the same e-mail address
above. Early registration is encouraged because it will expedite entry
into the building and its parking area. If you require parking, please
include the vehicle make and tag number, if known, when you register.
Because the meeting will be held in a Federal building, you should also
bring photo identification and plan for adequate time to pass through
the security screening system.
If you would like to participate in the public meeting for the 4th
session of the CCCF by telephone conference, please use the following
call in number and passcode:
Call In Number: 1-866-859-5767.
Passcode: 2225276.
For Further Information about the 4th Session of the CCCF Contact:
Dr. Henry Kim, Office of Food Safety, CFSAN, FDA, 5100 Paint Branch
Parkway (HFS-317), College Park, MD 20740, Phone: 301-436-2023, Fax:
301-436-2651, E-mail: Henry.Kim@fda.hhs.gov.
For Further Information about the Public Meeting Contact: Dr. Henry
Kim, Office of Food Safety, CFSAN, FDA, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway (HFS-
317), College Park, MD 20740, Phone: 301-436-2023, Fax: 301-436-2651,
E-mail: Henry.Kim@fda.hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Codex was established in 1963 by two United Nations organizations,
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health
Organization (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 CCCF establishes and endorses permitted maximum levels (MLs)
for contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed;
prepares a priority list of contaminants and naturally occurring
toxicants for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on
Food Additives (JECFA); considers methods of analysis and sampling for
the determination of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in
food and feed; considers and elaborates standards or codes of practice
for related subjects; and considers other matters assigned to it by the
Commission in relation to contaminants and naturally occurring
toxicants in food and feed.
The Committee is chaired by the Netherlands.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 4th Session of the CCCF
will be discussed during the public meeting:
[[Page 10207]]
Matters Referred to the CCCF by Codex and other Codex
Committees and Task Forces
Matters of Interest Arising from FAO and WHO (including
JECFA)
Matters of Interest Arising from other International
Organizations--International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of Ethyl
Carbamate in Stone Fruit Distillates
Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Melamine in Food and
Feed
Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Total Aflatoxins in
Brazil Nuts
Proposed Draft Revision of the Code of Practice for the
Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin in Tree Nuts (Additional Measures
for Brazil Nuts)
Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Fumonisins in Maize and
Maize Products and Associated Sampling Plans
Discussion Paper on Mycotoxins in Sorghum
Priority List of Contaminants and Naturally Occurring
Toxicants Proposed for Evaluation by JECFA
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 copies of these documents (see ADDRESSES).
Public Meeting
At the March 29, 2010, 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 Dr. Henry Kim for the 4th
Session of the CCCF (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that
they relate to activities of the 4th Session of the CCCF.
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_&_Policies/2010_Notices_
Index/index.asp. 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 electronic 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 have the option to
password protect their accounts.
Done in Washington, DC on March 1, 2010.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2010-4694 Filed 3-4-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P