[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 221 (Friday, November 15, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69183-69184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-29029]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 02-037N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Eighteenth Session of the Codex 
Committee on Fats and Oils

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, of the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, of the 
Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a public 
meeting on January 7, 2003, to review the technical contents of the 
agenda item documents and to receive comments on all issues coming 
before the Eighteenth Session of the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils, 
which will be held in London, United Kingdom, February 3-7, 2003.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 7, 2003 
from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Harvey Wiley Federal 
Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, Maryland 20740, in 
Conference Room 1B-042. To receive copies of the documents relevant to 
this notice, contact the Food Safety and Inspection Service (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.
    Send comments (an original and two copies) to the FSIS Docket Room 
and reference Docket  02-037N. 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 Mr. 
Charles W. Cooper, Director, International Activities Staff, FDA, at 
telephone (301) 436-1714; Fax (301) 436-2618.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) was established in 1962 
by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture 
Organization and the World Health Organization. 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 Fats and Oils (CCFO) was 
established to elaborate worldwide standards for fats and oils and 
their products. The Government of United Kingdom 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. Proposed Draft Amendments to the Standard for Named Vegetable 
Oils(including provisions for Mid-Oleic Acid Sunflower Oil and Super 
Palm Olein.
    3. Proposed Draft Amendment to the Code of Practice for the 
Storage and Transport of Edible Fats and Oils in Bulk: Lists of 
Acceptable Previous Cargoes and Lists of Banned Immediate Previous 
Cargoes.

[[Page 69184]]

    4. Proposed Draft Standard for Fat Spreads and Blended Spreads.

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 make copies of this Federal Register 
publication available through the FSIS Constituent Update. FSIS 
provides a weekly Constituent Update, which is communicated via 
Listserv, a free e-mail subscription service. 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 Listserv 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 the Listserv and web page, FSIS is able to provide 
information to a much broader, more diverse audience.
    For more information contact the Congressional and Public Affairs 
Office, at (202) 720-9113. To be added to the free e-mail subscription 
service (Listserv) go to the ``Constituent Update'' page on the FSIS 
web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/update/update.htm. Click on the 
``Subscribe to the Constituent Update Listserv'' link, then fill out 
and submit the form.

    Done at Washington, DC on November 8, 2002.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 02-29029 Filed 11-14-02; 8:45 am]
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