[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 244 (Friday, December 19, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75784-75785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29677]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2014-0043]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Methods of Analysis and Sampling
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), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) are
sponsoring a public meeting on February 5, 2015. 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 36th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of
Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
(Codex), taking place in Budapest, Hungary, February 23-27, 2015. The
Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety and the Food and Drug
Administration recognize the importance of providing interested parties
the opportunity to obtain background information on the 36th Session of
CCMAS and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 5, 2015
from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the Jamie L. Whitten
Building, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1400
Independence Avenue SW., Room 107-A, Washington, DC 20250. Documents
related to the 36th Session of CCMAS will be accessible via the World
Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
Dr. Gregory O. Noonan, U.S. Delegate to the 36th Session of CCMAS,
and the FDA, 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 36th
Session of CCMAS by conference call, please use the call-in number
listed below:
Call in Number: 1-888-844-9904.
The participant code will be posted on the Web page below: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/international-affairs/us-codex-alimentarius/public-meetings.
For Further Information about the 36th Session of CCMAS Contact:
Gregory O. Noonan, Ph.D., Research Chemist, Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Food and Drug Administration, Harvey W.
Wiley Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD
20740, Phone: (240) 402-2250, Fax: (301) 436-2634, Email:
[email protected]
For Further Information about the Public Meeting Contact: Marie
Maratos, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 4861,
Washington, DC 20250. Phone: (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 720-3157,
Email: [email protected]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 75785]]
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 that fair practices are used
in trade.
The CCMAS is responsible for defining the criteria appropriate to
Codex Methods of Analysis and Sampling; serving as a coordinating body
for Codex with other international groups working in methods of
analysis and sampling and quality assurance systems for laboratories;
specifying the basis of final recommendations submitted to it by other
bodies; considering, amending, and endorsing, methods of analysis and
sampling proposed by Codex (Commodity) Committees, except that methods
of analysis and sampling for residues of pesticides or veterinary drugs
in food, the assessment of microbiological quality and safety in food,
and the assessment of specifications for food additives do not fall
within the terms of reference of this Committee. The Committee is
charged with elaborating sampling plans and procedures; considering
specific sampling and analysis problems submitted to it by the
Commission or any of its Committees; defining procedures, protocols,
guidelines, or related texts for the assessment of food laboratory
proficiency; and developing quality assurance systems for laboratories.
The Committee is hosted by Hungary.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 36th Session of CCMAS
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Methods of Analysis and Sampling in Codex Standards at
different steps
Proposed Draft Principles for the Use of Sampling and Testing
in International Food Trade-Explanatory notes and practical examples
Discussion paper on development of procedures/guidelines for
determining equivalency to type I methods
Discussion paper on criteria approach for methods which use a
sum of components
Review and update of methods in Codex Stan 234-1999
(Recommended Methods of Analysis and Sampling)
Follow-up methods of analysis and sampling plans
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 Committee
meeting. Members of the public may access or request copies of these
documents (see ADDRESSES).
Public Meeting
At the February 5, 2015 public meeting, draft U.S. positions on the
agenda items will be described, 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 36th
Session of CCMAS, Gregory Noonan (see ADDRESSES). Written comments
should state that they relate to activities of the 36th Session of
CCMAS.
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 on-line through the FSIS Web page located
at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register/federal-register-notices.
FSIS also will 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, recalls, 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 and farm
groups, consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, and
other individuals who have asked to be included. The update is
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 email 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/wps/portal/fsis/topics/international-affairs/us-codex-alimentarius/committees-and-task-forces/mailing-list/CT_Index.
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 account.
USDA Non-Discrimination Statement
No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status,
income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs,
exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to
discrimination any person in the United States under any program or
activity conducted by the USDA.
How To File a Complaint of Discrimination
To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you or your
authorized representative. Send your completed complaint form or letter
to USDA by mail, fax, or email:
Mail
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410.
Fax
(202) 690-7442
Email
[email protected]
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should contact
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
Done at Washington, DC, on December 15, 2014.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2014-29677 Filed 12-18-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P