[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3230-3231]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office
[FR Doc No: 2012-1161]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2011-0034]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Methods of Analysis and Sampling

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), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), are 
sponsoring a public meeting on February 28, 2012. 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 33rd Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of 
Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
(Codex), which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, March 5-9, 2012. The 
Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of 
providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background 
information on the 33rd Session of the CCMAS and to address items on 
the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 
from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at FDA, CFSAN, Harvey Wiley 
Building, Room 1A-002, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 
20740. Documents related to the 33rd session of the CCMAS will be 
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/.
    Dr. Gregory O. Noonan, U.S. Delegate to the 33rd Session of the 
CCMAS, and FDA, invite U.S. interested parties to submit their comments 
electronically to the following email address: 
Gregory.Noonan@fda.hhs.gov.

Call-In Number

    If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 33rd 
Session of the CCMAS by conference call, please use the call-in number 
and participant code listed below:
    Call-in Number: 1-(888) 810-5908.
    Participant code: 21317.

For Further Information About the 33rd Session of the CCMAS Contact: 
Gregory O. Noonan, Ph.D., Research Chemist, CFSAN, FDA, Harvey W. Wiley 
Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740. 
Telephone: (240) 402-2250, fax: (301) 436-2634, email: 
Gregory.Noonan@fda.hhs.gov.

For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Marie 
Maratos, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue, Room 4861, 
Washington, DC 20250. Telephone: (202) 690-4795, fax: (202) 720-3157, 
email: Marie.Maratos@fsis.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    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 CCMAS is responsible for defining the criteria appropriate to 
Codex Methods of Analysis and Sampling; serving as a coordinating body 
for Codex with other international groups working in methods of 
analysis and sampling and quality assurance systems for laboratories; 
specifying the basis of final recommendations submitted to it by other 
bodies; considering, amending, and endorsing, methods of analysis and 
sampling proposed by Codex (Commodity) Committees, except that methods 
of analysis and sampling for residues of pesticides or veterinary drugs 
in food, the assessment of microbiological quality and safety in food, 
and the assessment of specifications for food additives, do not fall 
within the terms of reference of this Committee; elaborating sampling 
plans and procedures; considering specific sampling and analysis 
problems submitted to it by Codex or any of its Committees; defining 
procedures, protocols, guidelines or related texts for the assessment 
of food laboratory proficiency, as well as quality assurance systems 
for laboratories.
    The Committee is hosted by Hungary.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 33rd Session of the CCMAS 
will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Matters Referred to the Committee by Codex and Other Codex 
Committees

[[Page 3231]]

 Proposed Draft Principles for the Use of Sampling and Testing 
in International Food Trade
 Endorsement of Methods of Analysis Provisions in Codex 
Standards
 Provisions on the Use of Proprietary Methods in Codex 
Standards
 Report of an Inter-Agency Meeting on Methods of Analysis

    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 February 28, 2012, 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 33rd Session of the CCMAS, Gregory Noonan (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 33rd 
Session of the CCMAS.

Additional Public Notification

    FSIS will announce this notice online through the FSIS Web page 
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Federal_Register_Notices/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. 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_&_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.

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, and 
audiotape) 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.

    Done at Washington, DC, on January 17, 2012.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2012-1161 Filed 1-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P