[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 60 (Thursday, March 28, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14907-14908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-7470]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 02-004N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Twenty-fifth Session of the Codex 
Committee on Fish and Fishery Products

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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[[Page 14908]]

SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA), of the Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a 
public meeting on May 8, 2002, to review technical content of the 
agenda item documents and to receive comments on all issues coming 
before the Twenty-fifth Session of the Codex Committee on Fish and 
Fishery Products (CCFFP), which will be held in Alesund, Norway, June 
3-7, 2002.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 8, 2002, from 
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Harvey Wiley Federal 
Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, Maryland 20740, 
Conference Room 4B 047.
    To receive copies of the documents referenced in this notice, 
contact the Food Safety Inspection Service (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 will also be accessible via the World Wide Web at the 
following address: http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/economic/esn/codex. Send comments, in triplicate, to the FSIS Docket Room and 
reference Docket #02-004N. 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: Syed Amjad Ali, International Issues 
Analyst, U.S. Codex Office, FSIS, Room 4861, South Agriculture 
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 Ms. 
Janet Walraven, Consumer Safety Officer, Office of Seafood, FDA, at 
telephone (301) 436-1404; Fax (301) 436-2601.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius Commission (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 Fish and Fishery Products was established to 
elaborate codes and standards for fish and fishery products. The 
Government of Norway hosts this Committee and will chair the Committee 
meeting.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following specific issues will be discussed during the public 
meeting:
    1. Matters Referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other 
Codex committees.
    2. Review Proposed Draft Standard for Dried Salted Anchovies.
    3. Proposed Draft for Salted Atlantic Herring and Sprats for 
Histamine levels,
    4. Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products 
(sections 1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.9, 3 to 6 and 13).
    5. Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products: 
sections other than those listed in Item 3; Coated Fish; Retail; 
Surimi; Cephalopods; Transportation; Smoked; Salted; Molluscan 
Shellfish.
    6. Proposed Draft Standard for Live, Quick Frozen and Canned 
bivalve Molluscs.
    7. Proposed Draft Model Certificate for Fish and Fishery Products,
    8. Proposed Draft Standard for Smoked Fish.
    9. Proposed Draft Amendment to the Standard for Quick Frozen 
Lobsters.
    10. Proposed Draft Standard for Scallops.
    11. Discussion Paper--Inclusion of additional species and on 
labelling requirements related to the ``name of the product'' in Codex 
Standards (Proposed Draft Amendment to the Canned Sardines Standard).
    12. Discussion paper on fish content in fish sticks.

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 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: March 21, 2002.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 02-7470 Filed 3-27-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P