[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 60 (Thursday, March 28, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14906-14907]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-7469]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 02-009N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: 17th Session of the Codex 
Committee on General Principles

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting, request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United 
States

[[Page 14907]]

Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food And Drug Administration 
(FDA), are sponsoring a public meeting on March 26, 2002, to provide 
information and receive public comments on agenda items that will be 
discussed at the Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP), which 
will be held in Paris, France, on April 15-19, 2002. The Under 
Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested 
parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 17th 
Session of the General Principles Committee of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission (Codex) and to address items on the Agenda for the 17th 
CCGP.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 26th, 2002, 
from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 107A, Jamie E. 
Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Ave, SW., Washington, DC. To 
receive copies of the documents referenced in the notice contact the 
FSIS Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and 
Inspection Service, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20250-3700. The documents are also accessible via the 
World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/ccgp17/gp02_01e.htm. If you have comments, 
please send an original and two copies to the FSIS Docket Room, Docket 
#02-009N. All comments submitted 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. F. Edward Scarbrough, U.S. Manager 
for Codex, U.S. Codex Office, FSIS, Room 4861, South Building, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250, Phone: (202) 205-7760, 
Fax: (202) 720-3157. Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or 
other special accommodations should notify Dr. F. Edward Scarbrough at 
the above telephone 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. In the 
United States, USDA, FDA, and EPA manage and carry out U.S. Codex 
activities.
    The Codex Committee on General Principles deals with such 
procedural and general matters as are referred to it by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission. Such matters have included the establishment 
of the General Principles that define the purpose and scope of the 
Codex Alimentarius; the nature of Codex standards and the forms of 
acceptance by countries of Codex standards; the development of 
Guidelines for Codex Committees; the development of a mechanism for 
examining any economic impact statements submitted by governments 
concerning possible implications for their economies of some of the 
individual standards or some of the provisions thereof; and the 
establishment of a Code of Ethics for the International Trade in Food. 
The Committee is chaired by France.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The provisional agenda items will be discussed during the public 
meeting:
    1. Adoption of the Agenda.
    2. Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other 
Codex Committees, including Traceability.
    3. Risk Analysis
    (a) Proposed Draft Working Principles for Risk Analysis
    (b) The Application of Risk Analysis in the Elaboration of Codex 
Standards (prepared by India)
    (c) Consideration of the development of working principles for risk 
analysis to be applied by governments
    4. Proposed Draft Revised Code of Ethics for International Trade in 
Foods
    5. Guidelines for Cooperation with International Intergovernmental 
Organizations
    6. Membership in the Codex Alimentarius Commission of Regional 
Economic Integration Organizations
    7. Other Business, Future Work
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by the French Secretariat at the 17th Session of 
CCGP. Members of the public may access or request copies of these 
documents (see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the March 26th public meeting, the agenda items will be 
described, discussed, and attendees will have the opportunity to pose 
questions and offer comments. Written comments may be offered at the 
meeting or sent to the FSIS Docket Room (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 17th CCGP.

Additional Public Notification

    Pursuant to Departmental Regulation 4300-4, ``Civil Rights Impact 
Analysis,'' dated September 22, 1993, FSIS has considered the potential 
civil rights impact of this notice on minorities, women, and persons 
with disabilities. Therefore, to better ensure that these groups and 
others are made aware of this meeting, FSIS will announce it and 
provide copies of the Federal Register publication in the FSIS 
Constituent Update.
    The Agency 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 Agency 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, the 
Agency is able to provide information with a much broader, more diverse 
audience.
    For more information and to be added to the constituent fax list, 
fax your request to the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, at 
(202) 720-5704.

    Done at Washington, DC on: March 21, 2002.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 02-7469 Filed 3-27-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P