[Federal Register: February 15, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 31)]
[Notices]
[Page 8710-8711]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15fe11-36]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2010-0046]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Contaminants in Food
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 Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a
public meeting on February 22, 2011. 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 5th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food
(CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held
in The Hague, The Netherlands, March 21-25, 2011. The Under Secretary
for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on
the 5th Session of the CCCF and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 22, 2011,
from 1 to 3 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the 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 5th Session of the CCCF will be accessible via
the World Wide Web at the following address: http://
www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.Nega Beru, PhD, the U.S. Delegate
to the 5th Session of the CCCF, invites interested U.S. parties to
submit their comments electronically to the following e-mail address:
henry.kim@fda.hhs.gov.
Registration: Attendees may register electronically at the same e-
mail address provided above by February 18, 2011. The meeting will be
held in a Federal building, therefore, early registration is encouraged
as it will expedite entry into the building and its parking area. You
should also bring photo identification and plan for adequate time to
pass through security screening systems. If you require parking, please
include the vehicle make and tag number when you register. Attendees
that are not able to attend the meeting in-person but wish to
participate may do so by phone.
Call-In Number: If you wish to participate in the public meeting
for the 5th Session of the CCCF by conference call, please use the
call-in number and participant code listed below:
Call-in Number: 1-866-692-3158.
Participant Code: 5986642.
For Further Information About the 5th Session of the CCCF Contact:
Henry Kim, Ph.D., Office of Food Safety, CFSAN/FDA, HFS-317, 5100 Paint
Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740. Telephone: (301) 436-2023, Fax:
(301) 436-2651, e-mail: henry.kim@fda.hhs.gov.
For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Barbara
McNiff, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4870,
Washington, DC 20250. Telephone: (202) 690-4719, Fax: (202) 720-3157,
e-mail: barbara.mcniff@fsis.usda.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 the food trade.
The CCCF establishes or endorses permitted maximum levels of
contaminants, and where necessary revises existing guidelines for
[[Page 8711]]
contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed;
prepares priority lists of contaminants and naturally occurring
toxicants for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on
Food Additives (JECFA); considers and elaborates 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 Codex 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 5th Session of the CCCF
will be discussed during the public meeting:
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
Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of Ethyl
Carbamate in Stone Fruit Distillates.
Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Melamine in Food (Liquid
infant formula).
Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Deoxynivalenol and its
Acetylated Derivatives in Cereals and Cereal-based Products.
Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Total Aflatoxins in
Dried Figs.
Editorial Amendments to the General Standard for
Contaminants and Toxins in Foods and Feeds.
Discussion Paper on Mycotoxins in Sorghum.
Discussion Paper on Arsenic in Rice.
Discussion Paper on Guidance for Risk Management. Options
on How to Deal with the Results from New Risk Assessment Methodologies.
Discussion Paper on Ochratoxin A in Cocoa.
Discussion Paper on Furan.
Discussion Paper on Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids.
Endorsement of Provisions for Health-related Limits for
Certain Substances in the Standard for Natural Mineral Waters.
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 these documents (see ADDRESSES).
Public Meeting
At the February 22, 2011, 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
5th Session of the CCCF (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state
that they relate to activities of the 5th Session of the CCCF.
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on
the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age,
disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or
family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape,
etc.) should contact USDA's Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and
TTY).
To file a written complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TTY).
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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/
regulations_&_policies/Federal_Register_Notices/index.asp.
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, 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. Through Listserv and
the Web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader,
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_&_Events/Email_Subscription/. Options range
from recalls, export information, regulations, directives, and notices.
Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have the
option to password protect their accounts.
Done at Washington, DC, on February 4, 2011.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2011-3362 Filed 2-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P