[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 185 (Friday, September 22, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57309-57310]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-24418]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 00-039N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Thirty-third Session of the Codex 
Committee on Food Hygiene

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), are sponsoring a public meeting on October 6, 2000, to present 
and receive comments on draft United States positions on all issues 
coming before the Thirty-third Session of the Codex Committee on Food 
Hygiene (CCFH), which will be held in Washington, DC, October 23-28, 
2000. The Under Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of providing 
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on 
the Thirty-third Session of the CCFH and to address items on the 
agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 6, 2000, 
from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Conference Room 1409, 
Federal Office Building 8, 200 C Street, SW., Washington, DC 20204. To 
receive copies of the documents referenced in this notice, contact the 
FSIS Docket Room, 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. Submit one original and two copies 
of written comments to the FSIS Docket Room (address above) Docket #00-
039N and include the Codex document number. All comments received in 
response to this notice will be considered part of the public record 
and will be available for viewing in the FSIS Docket Room 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 SW., 
Washington, DC 20250-3700, Telephone (202) 205-7760, Fax (202) 720-
3157. Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or other special 
accommodations should notify Mr. Clerkin at the above number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 57310]]

Background

    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.
    The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene was established to draft basic 
provisions on food hygiene to all foods. The United States hosts this 
Committee and representatives of the United States Government will 
chair the Committee meeting.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The provisional agenda items and the relevant documents to be 
discussed during the public meeting are:
    1. Report by the Secretariat on Matters Referred by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission and/or Other Codex Committees to the Food 
Hygiene Committee, Document CX/FH 00/2
    2. Preliminary Report of the ad hoc Expert Consultation on Risk 
Assessment of Microbiological Hazards in Food and Related Matters, 
Document CX/FH 00/3
    3. Proposed Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Primary Production, 
Harvesting and Packaging of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Documents CX/
FH 00/4--Comments at Step 3 CX/FH 00/4-Add.1
    4. Proposed Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Pre-Cut Fruits and 
Vegetables, Documents CX/FH 00/5--Comments at Step 3 CX/FH 00/5-Add.1
    5. Proposed Draft Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of 
Microbiological Risk Management, Documents CX/FH 00/6--Comments at Step 
3 CX/FH 00/6-Add. 1
    6. Proposed Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Milk and Milk 
Products, Documents CX/FH 00/7--Comments at Step 3 CX/FH 00/7-Add. 1
    7. Proposed Draft Guidelines for Hygienic Reuse of Processing Water 
in Food Plants, Documents CX/FH 00/8--Comments at Step 3 CX/FH 00/8-
Add. 1
    8. Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Control of Listeria 
monocytogenes in Foods, Documents CX/FH 00/9--Comments at Step 3 CX/FH 
00/9-Add.1
    9. Discussion Paper on the Implementation of HACCP in Small and/or 
Less Developed Businesses, Documents CX/FH 00/10
    10. Discussion Paper on the Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria in 
Food, Document CX/FH 00/11
    11. Discussion Paper on the Proposed Draft Guidelines for the 
Validation of Food Hygiene Control Measures, Document CX/FH 00/12
    12. Discussion Paper on the Proposed Draft Guidelines for 
Evaluating Objectionable Matter in Food, Document CX/FH 00/13
    13. Priorities for the Revision of Codes of Hygienic Practice, 
Document CX/FH 00/14

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to better ensure 
that minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this 
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: September 18, 2000.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex.
[FR Doc. 00-24418 Filed 9-21-00; 8:45 am]
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