[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 15 (Monday, January 24, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3652-3653]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1663]



[[Page 3652]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 00-001N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Thirty-Second Session of the Codex 
Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants

AGENCY:  Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION:  Notice of Public meeting; request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY:  The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, and the 
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), United States Department of 
Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are sponsoring 
a public meeting on February 4, 2000. The purpose of the meeting is to 
provide information and receive public comment on agenda items that 
will be discussed at the Thirty-second Session of the Codex Committee 
on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC), which will be held in 
Beijing, China on March 20-24, 2000.

DATES:  The public meeting is scheduled for Friday, February 4, 2000, 
from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES:  The public meeting will be held in Room 1409, FOB 8, 200 C. 
St. S.W., Washington, DC. Documents referenced in this notice can be 
reviewed at the FSIS Docket Clerk's office, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 102, Cotton 
Annex, 300 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700. The documents 
will also be accessible via the World Wide Web at the following 
address: http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/economic/esn/codex/ccfac32/
Fa00--01e.htm. Send an original and two copies of comments to the FSIS 
Docket Clerk, Docket #00-001N, to the above address. All comments 
submitted in response to this notice will be available for public 
inspection in the FSIS Docket Clerk's office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 
p.m., Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Patrick J. Clerkin, Associate U.S. 
Manager for Codex, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and Inspection 
Service, Room 4861, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue S.W., 
Washington, DC 20250, Telephone: (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 720-3157.

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 principal international organization for 
protecting the health and economic interests of consumers and 
encouraging fair international trade in food. 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.
    The CCFAC establishes or endorses maximum or guideline levels for 
individual food additives, for contaminants (including environmental 
contaminants), and for naturally occurring toxicants in foodstuffs and 
animal feeds. In addition, the Committee prepares priority lists of 
food additives and contaminants for toxicological evaluation by the 
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives; recommends 
specifications of identity and purity for food additives for adoption 
by the Commission; considers methods of analysis for their 
determination in food; and considers and elaborates standards or codes 
for related subjects such as the labeling of food additives when sold 
as such and food irradiation. The Netherlands chairs the committee.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following lists the provisional agenda items that will be 
discussed during the public meeting on February 4, 2000:
    1. Adoption of the Agenda.
    2. Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other 
Codex Committees.
    3. Summary Report of the 53rd Meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert 
Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).
    4. Action Required as a Result of Changes in Acceptable Daily 
Intake Status and other Toxicological Recommendations.
    5. Discussion Paper on the Application of Risk Analysis Principles 
for Food Additives and Contaminants.

Food Additives

    1. Endorsement and/or Revision of Maximum Levels for Food Additives 
in Codex Standards.
    2. Consideration of the Codex General Standard for Food Additives.
    3. Discussion Paper on the Use of Colours in Foods.
    4. Discussion Paper on Processing Aids.
    5. Proposed Draft Revision to the Codex General Standard for 
Irradiated Foods.
    6. Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives 
Arising from the 53rd JECFA Meeting.
    7. Proposed Amendments to the International Numbering System.

Contaminants

    1. Endorsement and/or Revision of Maximum Levels for Contaminants 
in Codex Standards.
    2. Consideration of the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and 
Toxins in Foods.
    3. Methodology and Principles for Exposure Assessment in the Codex 
General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Foods.
    4. Mycotoxins in Food and Feed:
    (a) Aflatoxin M1 in Milk
    (b) Ochratoxin A in Cereals
    (c) Zearalenone
    (d) Patulin
    (e) Fumonisins.
    5. Industrial and Environmental Contaminants in Foods:
    (a) Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Source Directed Measures to 
Reduce Contamination of Food with Chemicals
    (b) Lead
    (c) Cadmium
    (d) Dioxins.

General Issues

    1. Proposals for Priority Evaluation of Food Additives and 
Contaminants by JECFA.
    2. Other Business and Future Work:
    (a) Comments on Methods of Analysis for the Determination of Food 
Additives and Contaminants in Foods.
    (b) Comments on the Inventory of Processing Aids.
    (c) Comments on Packaging Provisions to Maintain the Stability of 
Iodized Salt in the Codex Standard for Food Grade Salt.
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by Commission Secretariat or by The Netherlands' 
Secretariat to the Meeting. Members of the public may review copies of 
these documents (see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the February 4, 2000, public meeting, the agenda items will be 
described, discussed, and attendees will have the opportunity to pose 
questions and offer comments.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development are important. Consequently, in an effort to better ensure 
that minorities, women,

[[Page 3653]]

and persons with disabilities are aware of this public meeting notice, 
FSIS will announce it and provide copies of this Federal Register 
publication in the FSIS Constituent Update. FSIS provides a weekly FSIS 
Constituent Update, which is communicated via fax to over 300 
organizations and individuals. In addition, the update is available on 
line through the FSIS web page located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov. The 
update is used to provide information regarding FSIS policies, 
procedures, regulations, Federal Register notices, FSIS public 
meetings, recalls, and any other types of information that could affect 
or would be of interest to our constituents/stakeholders. The 
constituent fax list consists of industry, trade, and farm groups, 
consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, scientific 
professionals, and other individuals that have requested to be 
included. Through these various channels, FSIS is able to provide 
information to a much broader, more diverse audience. For more 
information and to be added to the constituent fax list, fax your 
request to the Congressional and Public Affairs Office, at (202) 720-
5704.

    Done at Washington, DC on: January 19, 2000.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 00-1663 Filed 1-21-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P