[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43835-43836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21043]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 01-026N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
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 Wednesday, September 12, 2001. The 
purpose of this public meeting is to provide information and receive 
public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions that 
will be discussed at the 19th Session of the Codex Committee on Cocoa 
Products and Chocolate (CCCPC), to be held in Fribourg, Switzerland, 
October 3-5, 2001. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA 
recognize the importance of providing interested parties the 
opportunity to obtain background information on the 19th Session of 
CCCPC and to address items on the agenda.

DATE: The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 12, 
2001, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 1409, Federal 
Building 8, U.S. 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.codexalimentarius.net. Submit one original and two 
copies of written comments to FSIS Docket Room at the address above and 
reference Docket 01-026N. All comments submitted in response to this 
notice will be available for public inspection in the FSIS Docket Room 
between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: F. Edward Scarbrough Ph.D., U.S. 
Manager for Codex, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and Inspection 
Service, Room 4861, South Agriculture Building, 1400 Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250. Telephone (202) 205-7760; Fax: (202) 
720-3157. Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or other 
special accommodations should notify Dr. Scarbrough at the above 
number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius Commission 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 Cocoa Products and Chocolate was established 
to elaborate worldwide standards for cocoa products and chocolate. The 
committee is hosted by Switzerland.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items will be on the Agenda for the 19th Session of 
the Committee and will be discussed at this meeting.
     Matters referred by the Commission and Other Codex 
Committees (CX/CPC 01/1)
     Draft Standard for Chocolate and Chocolate Products (CL 
2000/46-CPC, ALINORM 01/14 Appendix V)

Public Meeting

    At the September 12th public meeting, the issues and draft United 
States positions on the issues will be described, discussed, and 
attendees will have the opportunity to pose questions and offer 
comments. Comments may be sent to the FSIS Docket Room (see ADDRESSES). 
Please state that your comments relate to CCCPC activities

[[Page 43836]]

and specify which issues your comments address.

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: August 16, 2001.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 01-21043 Filed 8-20-01; 8:45 am]
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