[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 191 (Monday, October 2, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58729-58730]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-25223]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 00-041N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committees on 
Natural Mineral Waters and Cocoa Products and Chocolate

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), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are 
sponsoring a public meeting on October 17, 2000. The objective of the 
public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on 
agenda items and draft United States positions that will be discussed 
at the following upcoming committee meetings.
     Seventh Session of the Codex Committee on Natural Mineral 
Waters (CCNMW) to be held in Fribourg, Switzerland, October 30-November 
1, 2000
     Eighteenth Session of the Codex Committee on Cocoa 
Products and Chocolate (CCCPC) to be held in Fribourg, Switzerland, 
November 2-4, 2000.
    The Under Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of providing

[[Page 58730]]

interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on 
the Sessions of CCNMW and CCCPC and to address items on the agendas.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 17, 2000, 
from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Conference Room 1409, 
Federal Office Building 8, Food and Drug Administration, 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) and include Docket 00-041N 
and the Codex document number on the written submission. 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, FSIS, 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:

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 
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 Codex Committee on Natural Mineral Waters was established as a 
Regional (European) Codex Committee, but has been allocated the task of 
elaborating worldwide standards for natural mineral waters and other 
bottled/packaged waters. The Codex Committee on Cocoa Products and 
Chocolate was established to elaborate worldwide standards for cocoa 
products and chocolate. The Government of Switzerland hosts these 
Committees and will chair the Committee meetings.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The U.S. Delegate for the Codex Committee on Natural Mineral Waters 
will discuss the following subjects at the public meeting from 9:00 
a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
1. Matters Referred to the Committee, Document CX/NMW 00/2
2. Consideration of Proposed Draft General Standard for Bottled/
Packaged Waters Other Than Natural Mineral Waters at Step 4, Document 
ALINORM 99/20 Appendix II
3. Codex Standard for Natural Mineral Waters: Limits for Health Related 
Substances, Document CX/NMW 00/4
    The U.S. Delegate for the Codex Committee on Cocoa Products and 
Chocolate will discuss the following subjects at the public meeting 
from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 Noon.
1. Matters Referred to the Committee, Document CX/CCP 00/2
2. Draft Revised Standards at Step 7 For
    (a) Cocoa Butters, Document ALINORM 99/14 Appendix II
    (b) Cocoa (cacao) Mass, Cocoa (Cacao/Chocolate Liquor) Cocoa Cake 
for Use in the Manufacture of Cocoa and Chocolate Products, Document 
ALINORM 99/14 Appendix III
    (c) Cocoa Powders (Cocoas) and Dry Cocoa-Sugar Mixtures, Document 
ALINORM 99/14 Appendix IV
3. Proposed Draft Standard for Chocolate and Chocolate products at Step 
4, Document ALINORM 99/14 Appendix V

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 effect 
or would be of interest to our constituents/stakeholders. The 
constituent fax list consists of industry, trade, farm, and consumer 
interest groups, allied health professionals and 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 FSIS Congressional and Public Affairs Office, at (202) 
720-5704.

    Done at Washington, DC on: September 27, 2000.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex.
[FR Doc. 00-25223 Filed 9-29-00; 8:45 am]
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