[Federal Register: March 3, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 42)]
[Notices]
[Page 11384-11385]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03mr08-27]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2008-0005]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Contaminants in Foods
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 (HHS), are
sponsoring a public meeting on March 5, 2008. The objective of the
public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on
agenda items and draft United States positions that will be discussed
at the 2nd Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods
(CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held
in The Hague, The Netherlands, from March 31-April 4, 2008.
The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the
importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain
background information on the 2nd Session of the CCCF and to address
items that will be on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 5, 2008,
from 1 to 3 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Harvey Wiley Federal
Building Auditorium, FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
(CFSAN), 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740. Codex
documents related to the 2nd Session of the CCCF are 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
security screening systems.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2nd 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: Edith
Kennard, Staff Officer, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and Inspection
Service (FSIS), Room 4861, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20250, Phone: (202) 720-5261, Fax: (202) 720-3157,
e-mail: edith.kennard@fsis.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (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 was established by the Commission in 2006 as a separate
Committee to establish or endorse maximum levels for contaminants and
naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed; to prepare priority
lists of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants for risk
assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
(JECFA); to consider methods of analysis and sampling for determination
of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed; to
consider and elaborate
[[Page 11385]]
standards or codes of practice for related subjects; and to consider
other matters assigned to it by the Commission in relation to
contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed. The
Committee is hosted by The Netherlands.
Issues to be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 2nd Session of the CCCF
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters Referred to the Committee from other Codex Bodies
Matters of Interest arising from FAO and WHO
Matters of Interest of the 68th JECFA
Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in
Foods (GSCTF)--Proposed Draft Revision to the Preamble
Draft Maximum Levels for 3-MCPD in Liquid Condiments
Containing Acid-HVP (Excluding Naturally Fermented Soy Sauce)
Draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of
Chloropropanols during the Production of Acid-Hydrolyzed Vegetable
Proteins (HVPs) and Products that Contain Acid-HVPs
Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of
Acrylamide in Food
Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of
Contamination of Food with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) from
Smoking and Direct Drying
Draft Maximum Level for Ochratoxin A in Wheat, Barley and
Rye
Draft Maximum Levels for Total Aflatoxins in Almonds,
Hazelnuts and Pistachios that are ``For Further Processing'' and
``Ready-to-Eat''
Proposed Draft Sampling Plan for Aflatoxin Contamination
in Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Hazelnuts and Pistachios
Discussion Paper on Maximum Levels for Total Aflatoxins in
``Ready-to-Eat'' Almonds, Hazelnuts and Pistachios
Discussion Paper on Aflatoxin Contamination in Brazil Nuts
Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Prevention and
Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in Dried Figs
Discussion Papers on Ochratoxin A in Coffee and Cocoa
Priority List of Contaminants and Naturally Occurring
Toxicants Proposed for Evaluation by JECFA
Each item listed above will be fully described in documents
distributed, or to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the
March 31-April 4, 2008, meeting in The Hague. Members of the public may
access copies of these documents at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/
current.asp.
Public Meeting
At the March 5, 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, Dr. Henry Kim, at
henry.kim@fda.hhs.gov. Written comments should state that they relate
to activities of the 2nd 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/2008--Notices--Index/. 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 at Washington, DC, on: February 27, 2008.
Paulo Almeida,
Acting U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. E8-4056 Filed 2-29-08; 8:45 am]
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