[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 105 (Monday, June 2, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29705-29706]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-14312]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 97-040N]


Codex Alimentarius: Sessions of the Executive Committee and the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice, public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the 
Department of Agriculture (USDA); the Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are sponsoring a public meeting 
on June 4, 1997. The purpose of this meeting is to provide information 
and receive public comments on agenda items to be discussed at the 
Forty-fourth Session of the Executive Committee of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission, and the Twenty-second Session of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 
June 19-20, 1997, and June 23-28, 1997, respectively.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 4, 1997, from 
9:30 am to 12:00 pm.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn in 
Franklin Square, 1155 14th Street, NW (at Massachusetts Avenue) 
Washington, DC 20005; telephone (202) 737-1200.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Patrick J. Clerkin, Director, U.S. 
Codex Office, FSIS, Room 311 West End Court, 1255 22nd Street, NW, 
Washington, DC 20250-3700; telephone (202) 418-8852; Fax: (202) 418-
8865.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Codex was established in 1962 by two United Nations organizations, 
the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health 
Organization. Codex is the major international organization for 
encouraging fair international trade in food and protecting the health 
and economic interests of consumers. Through adoption of food 
standards,

[[Page 29706]]

codes of practice, and other guidelines developed by its committees, 
and by promoting their adoption and implementation by governments, 
Codex seeks to ensure that the world's food supply is sound, wholesome, 
free from adulteration, and informatively labeled. In the United 
States, USDA, FDA, and EPA coordinate the domestic agenda of U.S. Codex 
as the U.S. representative to the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The 
Commission meets biennially. The Executive Committee serves as the 
executive organ of Codex between meetings of the Commission.

Issues to be Discussed at the Meeting

    The following specific agenda items for the Commission will be 
discussed during the public meeting on June 4, 1997:
    1. Adoption of the agenda.
    2. Election of officers of the Commission and appointment of 
regional coordinators.
    3. Report by the chairperson on the forty-third and forty-fourth 
sessions of the Executive Committee.
    4. Reports by coordinators on regional activities.
    5. Report on the financial situation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food 
Standards Programme for 1996/97 and 1998/99.
    6. Consideration of amendments to the procedural manual of the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission.
    7. Consideration of draft standards and related texts.
    8. Consideration of proposals to elaborate new standards and or 
related texts and other matters arising from reports of Codex 
Committees.
    9. Involvement of non-governmental organizations in the work of the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission.
    10. The application of risk analysis principles in Codex.
    11. Matters relating to the implementation of the WTO Agreement on 
the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and the 
Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.
    12. Consideration of the draft medium-term plan for 1998 to 2002.
    13. Designation of host governments for Codex Committees.
    14. Other business.
    15. Adoption of report.
    Work of the Executive Committee relates to the same matters that 
will be deliberated by the Commission. This work will also be discussed 
in the June 4, 1997, meeting. Draft U.S. positions on agenda items in 
these Codex sessions will be available at the June 4, 1997 meeting.

    Done at Washington, DC on: May 28, 1997.
Thomas J. Billy,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 97-14312 Filed 5-28-97; 3:44 pm]
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