[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1957-1958]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-731]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 97-083N]


Codex Alimentarius: Meeting of the Codex Committee on General

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius is sponsoring a public 
meeting to provide information and receive comments from the public on 
items that will be discussed at the Codex Committee on General 
Principles, which will be held May 11 to 15, 1998, in Paris, France. 
The Manager recognizes the importance of providing interested parties 
the opportunity to obtain background information on the Thirteenth 
Session of the General Principles Committee of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission (Codex). Attendees will hear brief descriptions of the 
issues and will have the opportunity to pose questions and offer 
comments on the issues.


[[Page 1958]]


DATES: The public meeting is scheduled from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on 
January 27, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in the 
Hamilton Conference Room, 14th and K Streets, NW, Washington, DC. Send 
an original and two copies of your comments to: FSIS Docket Clerk, 
Docket No. 97-083N, Department of Agriculture, FSIS, Room 102, Cotton 
Annex, 300 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700. All comments 
submitted in response to this notice will be available for public 
inspection in the Docket Clerk's Office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 
p.m., Monday through Friday, and will be considered part of the 
official record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. F. Edward Scarbrough, U.S. Manager 
for Codex Alimentarius, Room 4861, South Building, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-
3700; telephone (202) 205-6670.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Codex was established in 1962 by two United 
Nations organizations: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and 
the World Health Organization (WHO). 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, 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 correctly 
labeled. In the United States, the U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius 
coordinates the United States representatives to the Commission and its 
subsidiary bodies.
    The Codex Commission on General Principles was established to deal 
with procedural and general matters such as the general principles 
which define the purpose and scope of Codex Alimentarius, the nature of 
Codex standards, the forms of acceptance by countries of the standards, 
and the development of guidelines for Codex committees.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Meeting

    The following specific issues will be discussed during the public 
meeting:

1. Risk Analysis
    (A.) Definitions related to risk management
    (B.) Working principles for risk analysis
    (C.) Equivalence and food safety objectives
2. Measures intended to facilitate consensus within Codex
3. Review of the Codex General Principles
    (A.) Consideration of special treatment of developing countries
    (B.) Revision of the acceptance procedure
4. Review of the status and objectives of Codex texts
5. Review of the statements of principle on the role of science and 
the extent to which other factors are taken into account such as in 
the cases of Bovine Somotrophin (BST) and Porcine Somotrophin (PST)
6. Procedures concerning the participation of international non-
governmental organizations

    In advance of this meeting, the U.S. Manager will have assigned 
responsibility for development of U.S. positions on these issues to 
members of government. The designated persons will develop draft 
proposals, which may be based in part on comments received from the 
public. All interested parties are invited to provide information on 
the above issues or any other issues that may be brought before the 
Codex Committee on General Principles or Codex, in general.

    Done at Washington, DC, on January 6, 1998.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 98-731 Filed 1-12-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P