[Federal Register: March 3, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 42)]
[Notices]
[Page 11385-11386]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03mr08-28]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2008-0006]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Food Additives
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 March 12, 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 40th
Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Beijing, China,
on April 21-25, 2008. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA
recognize the importance of providing interested parties the
opportunity to obtain background information on the 40th Session of the
CCFA and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, 2008,
from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the auditorium (Room
1A003), Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building, FDA, Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), 5100 Paint Branch Highway, College Park
MD 20740. Documents related to the 40th Session of the CCFA are
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://
www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
The U.S. Delegate to the CCFA, Dr. Dennis Keefe, invites interested
U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically to the following
e-mail address: ccfa@fda.hhs.gov.
Registration
Attendees may register electronically to the same e-mail address
above by March 10, 2008. 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
[[Page 11386]]
photo identification and plan for adequate time to pass through
security screening systems.
For Further Information About the 40th Session of the CCFA Contact:
Dennis Keefe, Office of Food Additive Safety (HFS-205), CFSAN, FDA,
5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740. Phone: (301) 436-
1284, Fax: (301) 436-2972, e-mail: dennis.keefe@fda.hhs.gov.
For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Doreen Chen-
Moulec, International Issues Analyst, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety
and Inspection Service (FSIS), Room 4865, South Building, 1400
Independence Ave, SW., Washington, DC 20250. Phone: (202) 720-4063,
Fax: (202) 720-3157.
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 CCFA was formed in 2006 from the division of the Codex
Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants. It was established to set
or endorse maximum levels for individual food additives; prepare
priority lists of food additives for risk assessment by the Joint FAO
and WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA); assign functional
classes to individual food additives; recommend specifications of
identity and purity for food additives for adoption by the Commission;
consider methods of analysis for the determination of additives in
food; and consider and elaborate standards or codes for related
subjects, including the labeling of food additives when sold as such.
The Committee is hosted by the People's Republic of China.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 40th Session of the CCFA
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters Referred to the Committee from the Codex
Alimentarius Commission and other Codex Bodies
Matters of Interest arising from the FAO, WHO, and the
JECFA
Endorsement or Revision of Maximum Levels for Food
Additives and Processing Aids in Codex Standards
Consideration of the Codex General Standard for Food
Additives (GSFA)
Proposed Draft Revision of the Food Category System of the
GSFA
Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Use of Flavorings
Discussion Paper on Guidelines and Principles for the Use
of Processing Aids
International Numbering System (INS) for Food Additives
Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food
Additives
Priority List of Food Additives Proposed for Evaluation by
the JECFA
Each item listed above will be fully described in documents
distributed, or to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the
April 21-25, 2008, meeting in Beijing, China. Members of the public may
access these documents from http://www.codexalimentarius.net/
current.asp.
Public Meeting
At the March 12, 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 sent electronically to the U.S. Delegate for the CCFA, Dr.
Dennis Keefe at dennis.keefe@fda.hhs.gov. Written comments should state
that they relate to activities of the 40th Session of the CCFA.
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. E8-4060 Filed 2-29-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P