[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 21 (Thursday, January 31, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6804-6805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02108]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2013-0001]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Food Labeling
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), are sponsoring a public meeting on April 17, 2013. 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 41st Session of the Codex Committee on Food
Labeling (CCFL) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which
will be held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada from May
14-17, 2013. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the
importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain
background information on the 41st Session of the CCFL, and to address
items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17, 2013,
from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Jamie L. Whitten
Building, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 107-A, Washington,
DC 20250.
Documents related to the 41st Session of the CCFL will be
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
The U.S. Delegate to the 41st Session of the CCFL invites U.S.
interested parties to submit their comments electronically to the
following email address: [email protected].
Call-In Number:
If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 41st
Session of the CCFL, 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 41st Session of the CCFL:
Contact: Office of Nutrition, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements, Center
for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway
(HFS-800), College Park, MD 20740, Email: [email protected].
For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Doreen
Chen-Moulec, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room
4861, Washington, DC 20250, Telephone: (202) 205-7760, 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 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 fair practices in the food
trade.
The CCFL is responsible for:
(a) Drafting provisions on labeling applicable to all foods;
(b) Considering, amending if necessary, and endorsing draft
specific provisions on labeling prepared by the Codex Committees
drafting standards, codes of practice and guidelines;
(c) Studying specific labeling problems assigned to it by Codex;
and
(d) Studying problems associated with the advertisement of food
with particular reference to claims and misleading descriptions.
The Committee is hosted by Canada.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 41st Session of the CCFL
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters referred to the CCFL.
Consideration of labeling provisions in draft Codex
standards.
Implementation of the World Health Organization Global
Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.
(a) Proposed draft revision of the Guidelines on Nutrition and
Health Claims concerning Non-Addition of Sodium Salts
Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labeling and
Marketing of Organically Produced Foods.
(a) Use of ethylene as sprouting inhibitor for onions and potatoes.
(b) Organic aquaculture.
Discussion Paper on Issues Related to Date Marking.
Discussion Paper on Labeling of Food Derived from Crops
Biofortified by Natural Selection
Other Business and Future Work.
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 April 17, 2013, 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 41st
Session of the CCFL (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that
they relate to activities of the 41st Session of the CCFL.
[[Page 6805]]
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 January 24, 2013.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2013-02108 Filed 1-30-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P