[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 23 (Friday, February 3, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5481-5483]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office
[FR Doc No: 2012-2439]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2012-0002]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Contaminants in Food
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
[[Page 5482]]
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 23, 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 6th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food
(CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held
in Maastricht, The Netherlands, March 26-30, 2012. The Under Secretary
for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on
the 6th Session of the CCCF and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 23, 2012,
from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Harvey W. Wiley
Federal Building, Room 3B-047, FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition (CFSAN), 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740.
Documents related to the 6th Session of the CCCF will be accessible via
the World Wide web at http://www.codexalimentarius.org/.
Nega Beru, U.S. Delegate to the 6th Session of the CCCF, invites
interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically to the
following email address henry.kim@fda.hhs.gov.
Registration: Attendees may register electronically at the same
email address provided above by February 18, 2012. 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 6th Session of the CCCF by conference call, please use the
call-in number and participant code listed below.
Call-in Number: 1-(888) 858-2144.
Participant Code: 6208658.
For Further Information About the 6th 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: (240) 402-2023, fax:
(301) 436-2651, email: henry.kim@fda.hhs.gov.
For Further Information About the Public Meeting 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, email: 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 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, and
where necessary revises existing guideline levels for 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 6th Session of the CCCF
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters Referred to the CCCF by Codex and other Codex
Committees/Task Forces.
Revision of the Risk Analysis Principles Applied by the
Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) and the CCCF as to Their
Separation from the CCFA and Their Applicability to Feed.
Revision of the Code of Practice for Source Directed
Measures to Reduce Contamination of Food with Chemicals as to Their
Applicability to Feed.
Matters of Interest Arising from FAO and WHO (including
JECFA).
Matters of Interest Arising from other International
Organizations--International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Draft Maximum Levels for Melamine in Food (liquid infant
formula).
Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Arsenic in Rice.
Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Deoxynivalenol (DON) and
its Acetylated Derivatives in Cereals and Cereal-Based Products.
Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Total Aflatoxins in
Dried Figs including Sampling Plans.
Editorial Amendments to the General Standard for
Contaminants and Toxins in Foods and Feeds (GSCTFF).
Discussion Paper on Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Food and
Feed.
Discussion Paper on Maximum Levels for Lead in Various
Foods in the General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and
Feed and the Related Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction
of Lead Contamination in Foods and the Code of Practice for Source
Directed Measure to Reduce Contamination of Foods with Chemicals.
Discussion Paper on Mycotoxins in Sorghum.
Discussion Paper on Ochratoxin A in Cocoa.
Discussion Paper on Guidance for Risk Management Options
in Light of Different Risk Assessment Options.
Priority List of Contaminants and Naturally Occurring
Toxicants Proposed for Evaluation by the 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 February 23, 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 Dr. Henry Kim for the
6th Session of the CCCF (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state
that they relate to activities of the 6th Session of the CCCF.
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.
[[Page 5483]]
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 27, 2012.
Doreen Chen-Moulec,
U.S. office for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2012-2439 Filed 2-2-12; 8:45 am]
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