[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1887-1889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00433]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2014-0046]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Contaminants in Food
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a
public meeting on February 23, 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 9th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food
(CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking place in
New Delhi, India, March 16-20, 2015. The Deputy Under Secretary for
Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested
parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 9th
Session of the CCCF and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 23, 2015,
from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
[[Page 1888]]
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the Harvey W. Wiley
Federal Building, United States Food and Drug Administration, Center
for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), 5100 Paint Branch
Parkway, Room TBA, College Park, MD 20740.
Documents related to the 9th Session of the CCCF will be accessible
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
Nega Beru, U.S. Delegate to the 9th Session of the CCCF invites
interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically to the
following email address [email protected].
Registration
Attendees may register electronically at the same email address
provided above by February 19, 2015. The meeting will be held in a
Federal building; therefore, early registration is encouraged as it
will expedite entry into the building and its parking area. You should
also bring photo identification and plan for adequate time to pass
through security screening systems. If you require parking, please
include the vehicle make and tag number when you register. Attendees
that are not able to attend the meeting in-person but wish to
participate may do so by phone.
Call In Number
If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 9th
Session of CCCF by conference call, please use the call-in number.
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.
Further Information About the 9th Session of the CCCF Contact:
Henry Kim, Ph.D., Office of Food Safety, CFSAN/FDA, HFS-317, 5100 Paint
Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740, Telephone: (240) 402-2023, Fax:
(301) 436-2651, email: [email protected].
For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Henry
Kim, Ph.D., Office of Food Safety, CFSAN/FDA, HFS-317, 5100 Paint
Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740, Telephone: (301) 436-2023, Fax:
(301) 436-2651, 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 adoption and implementation by governments, Codex seeks to
protect the health of consumers and ensure that fair practices are used
in the food trade.
The CCCF is responsible for:
(a) Establishing or endorsing permitted maximum levels, and where
necessary revising existing guideline levels for contaminants and
naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed;
(b) Preparing priority lists of contaminants and naturally
occurring toxicants for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert
Committee on Food Additives (JECFA);
(c) Considering and elaborating methods of analysis and sampling
for the determination of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants
in food and feed;
(d) Considering and elaborating standards or codes of practice for
related subjects;
(e) Considering other matters assigned to it by the Commission in
relation to contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and
feed.
The Committee is chaired by The Netherlands.
Issues to be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the Agenda for the 9th Session of the CCCF
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters Referred to the CCCF by the Codex Alimentarius
Commission or its subsidiary bodies
Proposed draft maximum levels for deoxynivalenol (DON) in raw
cereal grains (wheat, maize and barley) including sampling plans and in
flour, meal, semolina and flakes derived from wheat, maize or barley
Maximum levels for lead in fruit juices and nectars (ready to
drink), canned fruits, and canned vegetables
Maximum levels for lead in selected fruits and vegetables
Proposed draft maximum levels for inorganic arsenic in husked
rice
Proposed draft Code of Practice for the Prevention and
Reduction of Arsenic Contamination in Rice
Proposed draft revision of the Code of Practice for the
Prevention and Reduction of Mycotoxin Contamination in Cereals
Proposed draft maximum level for total aflatoxins in ready-to-
eat peanuts
Proposed draft maximum levels for cadmium in chocolate and
Cocoa-derived products
Proposed draft maximum levels for DON and its acetylated
derivatives in cereals and cereal based products
Paper on submission and use of data from GEMS/Food
Discussion paper on radionuclides
Discussion paper on approaches for phasing in of lower MLs
Discussion paper on maximum levels for methylmecury in fish
Discussion paper on mycotoxin contamination in spices
Discussion paper on feasibility to develop a Code of Practice
for mycotoxins in spices
Priority list of contaminants and naturally occurring
toxicants proposed for evaluation by JECFA.
Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed,
or to be distributed, by the Secretariat before the meeting. Members of
the public may access or request copies of these documents (see
ADDRESSES).
Public Meeting
At the February 23, 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 Dr. Henry Kim for the 9th
Session of the CCCF (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that
they relate to activities of the 9th Session of the CCCF.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, FSIS will announce this Federal
Register publication on-line through the FSIS Web page located at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
FSIS also will make copies of this 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 our constituents and
stakeholders. The Update is available on the FSIS Web page. Through the
Web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader, 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/subscribe. Options range from recalls to export
information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or
delete
[[Page 1889]]
subscriptions themselves, and have the option to password protect their
accounts.
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 January 9, 2015.
Paulo Almeida,
Acting, U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2015-00433 Filed 1-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P