[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 173 (Thursday, September 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54875-54876]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21989]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2012-0035]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Fish and Fishery Products
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), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are
sponsoring a public meeting on September 6, 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 32nd session of the Codex Committee on Fish and
Fishery Products (CCFFP) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex),
which will be held in Bali, Indonesia from October 1-5, 2012. The Under
Secretary for Food Safety, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), and the Food and Drug Administration recognize
the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to
obtain background information on the 32nd session of the CCFFP and to
address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for September 6, 2012, from 1
p.m.-3 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
(CFSAN), Wiley Building, Room 3B047, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College
Park, MD 20740.
Documents related to the 32nd session of the CCFFP will be
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/.
Timothy Hansen & Dr. William Jones, U.S. Delegates to the 32nd
session of the CCFFP, invite U.S. interested parties to submit their
comments electronically to the following email addresses:
[email protected] & [email protected].
Call-In Number:
If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 32nd
session of the CCFFP by conference call, please use the call-in number
and participant code listed below:
Call-in Number: 1 (866) 565-0671.
Participant code: 5968327.
For Further Information About the 32nd Session of the CCFFP
Contact: Timothy Hansen, Director, Seafood Inspection Program, National
Marine Fisheries Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, 1315 East West Highway SSMC 3, Silver Spring,
MD 20910, Phone: (301) 713-2355 Fax:(301) 713-1081, Email:
[email protected].
Dr. William Jones, Director, Division of Seafood Safety, Office of
Food Safety, (HFS-325) U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint
Branch Parkway, College Park, MD, 20740, Phone: (240) 402-2300, Fax:
(301) 436-2601, Email: [email protected].
For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Kenneth
Lowery, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 4861,
Washington, DC 20250, Phone: (202)690-4042, Fax: (202)720-3157, Email:
[email protected].
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 fair practices in the
food trade.
The CCFFP is responsible for: Elaborating worldwide standards for
fresh, frozen (including quick frozen) or otherwise processed fish,
crustaceans and molluscs. The Committee is hosted by Norway.
[[Page 54876]]
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 32nd session of the CCFFP
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters Referred to the CCFFP by the Codex Commission and
Other Codex Committees
Matters Arising from the Work of the FAO and the WHO
Draft Standard for Smoked Fish, Smoke-Flavored Fish and Smoke
Dried Fish (held at Step 7) Section 4 Food Additives
Draft Standard for Quick Frozen Scallop Adductor Muscle Meat
Draft Standard for Fresh/Live and Frozen Abalone (Haliotis
spp)
Proposed Draft Code of Practice on the Processing of Scallop
Meat
Proposed Draft Performance Criteria for Reference and
Confirmatory Methods for Marine Biotoxins in the Standard for Raw and
Live Bivalve Molluscs
Proposed Draft Performance Criteria for Screening Methods for
Marine Biotoxins in the Standard for Raw and Live Bivalve Molluscs
Amendment to the Standard for Quick Frozen Fish Sticks
(Nitrogen Factor for Atlantic Hake)
Proposed Draft Revision of the Procedure for the Inclusion of
Additional Species in Standards for Fish and Fishery Products
Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products
(section on Sturgeon Caviar)
Discussion Paper on Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish
and Fishery Products (appendices on optional final product
requirements)
Proposed Food Additive Provisions in Standards for Fish and
Fishery Products
Discussion Paper on Histamine
Discussion Paper on a Code of Practice for Fish Sauce
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 September 6, 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. Delegates
for the 32nd session of CCFFP, Timothy Hansen & Dr. William Jones (see
ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they relate to
activities of the 32nd session of the CCFFP.
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, or
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: August 31, 2012.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2012-21989 Filed 9-5-12; 8:45 am]
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