[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 132 (Thursday, July 10, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41109-41110]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-17469]


 ========================================================================
 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 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 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 132 / Thursday, July 10, 2003 / 
Notices  

[[Page 41109]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 03-023N]


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

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 September 3, 2003, to review the agenda items and to receive 
comments on all issues coming before the Twenty-sixth Session of the 
Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products, which will be held in 
Alesund, Norway, October 13-17, 2003.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 3, 
2003, from 9 am. to 12 noon.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Harvey Wiley Federal 
Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, Maryland 20740. 
Building control will direct the participants to the meeting room.
    To receive copies of the documents relevant to 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 become accessible via the World Wide Web at the following 
address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net. Send comments, in 
triplicate, to the FSIS Docket room and reference Docket  03-
023N. 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, Senior Staff Officer, 
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, at telephone (301) 436-2300; 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 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 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. Proposed Draft Standard for Salted Atlantic Herring and Salted 
Sprats.
3. Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products 
(sections 6 Aquaculture, 7 Molluscan Shellfish, 10 Processing of Quick 
Frozen Coated Fish Products, 11 Processing of Salted Fish, 12 
Processing of Smoked Fish, 13 Processing of Lobsters and Crabs, 14 
Processing of Shrimps and Prawns, 15 Processing of Cephalopods, 17 
Transport, and 18 Retail).
4. Proposed Draft Standard for Live and Processed Molluscs.
5. Proposed Draft Model Certificate for Fish and Fishery Products 
``sanitary'' certificate.
6. Proposed Draft Model Certificate for Fish and Fishery Products 
(other certificates).
7. Proposed Draft Standard for Smoked Fish.
8. Proposed Draft Amendment to the Standard for Quick Frozen Lobsters.
9. Proposed Draft Standard for Scallops Adductor Muscle Meat.
10. Proposed Draft Amendment to the Standard for Salted Fish and Dried 
Salted Fish of the Gadidae Family.
11. Proposed Draft Standard for Sturgeon Caviar.
12. Discussion paper--Inclusion of additional species and on labeling 
requirements related to the ``name of the product'' in Codex Standards 
(Proposed Draft Amendment to the Canned Sardines Standard).
13. Discussion paper on how to measure 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 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

[[Page 41110]]

(Listserv) go to the ``Constituent Update'' page on the FSIS web site 
at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/update/update.htm. Click on ``Subscribe 
to the Constituent Update Listserv'' link, then fill out and submit the 
form.

    Done at Washington, DC on: July 7, 2003.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 03-17469 Filed 7-9-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-M