[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 79 (Thursday, April 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20110-20111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10109]


 ========================================================================
 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
 appearing in this section.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 79 / Thursday, April 24, 2003 / 
Notices  

[[Page 20110]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 03-016N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: 3rd Session of the Codex Ad Hoc 
Intergovernmental Task Force on Fruit and Vegetable Juices

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting, request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United 
States Department of Agriculture, and the Food And Drug Administration 
(FDA) are sponsoring a public meeting on April 24, 2003, to provide 
information and receive public comments on agenda items that will be 
discussed at the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Fruit and 
Vegetable Juices taking place in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, on May 5-9, 
2003. The Under Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of providing 
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information, 
including draft U.S. positions on agenda items for the Third Session of 
the Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Fruit and Vegetable Juices 
of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and to address items on 
the Agenda for the 3rd Session.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 24, 2003, 
from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 1B-042 , Harvey W. 
Wiley Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD. To 
receive copies of the documents referenced in the 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/current.asp. If you have comments, please 
send an original and two copies to the FSIS Docket Room and reference 
Docket 03-016N. 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: Edith Kennard, U.S. Codex Office, Food 
Safety and Inspection Service, Room 4861, South Building, 1400 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250, Phone: (202) 205-7760, 
Fax: (202) 720-3157.

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.
    The Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Fruit and 
Vegetable Juices is tasked with revising and consolidating the existing 
Codex standards and guidelines for fruit and vegetable juices and 
related products. It is also tasked with revising and updating the 
methods of analysis and sampling for these products. The Committee is 
chaired by Brazil.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The provisional agenda items and draft U.S. positions will be 
discussed during the public meeting:
    1. Adoption of the Agenda;
    2. Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other 
Codex Committees;
    3. Consideration of Proposed Draft Standards:
    a. Proposed draft Codex General Standard for Fruit Juices and 
Nectars;
    b. Proposed Draft Revised Codex Standard for Vegetable Juices.
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by the Brazilian Secretariat to the Meeting. 
Members of the public may access or request copies of these documents 
(see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the April 24th 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 3rd Session 
of the Codex Ad Hoc Governmental Task Force on Fruit and Vegetable 
Juices.

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

[[Page 20111]]

the Constituent Update Listserv'' link, then fill out and submit the 
form.

    Done in Washington, DC, on April 17, 2003.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 03-10109 Filed 4-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P