[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 206 (Friday, October 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60904-60905]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-26817]


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 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. 206 / Friday, October 24, 2003 / 
Notices  

[[Page 60904]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 03-036N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
General Principles

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are 
sponsoring a public meeting on October 27, 2003. The objective of the 
public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on 
agenda items and draft United States' positions that will be discussed 
at the 19th (Extraordinary) Session of the Codex Committee on General 
Principles (CCGP) to be held in Paris, France, November 17-21, 2003. 
The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of 
providing interested parties with the opportunity to obtain background 
information on the 19th (Extraordinary) Session of CCGP and to address 
items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 27, 2003 
from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 107A, JLW Building, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, Washington, 
DC. To receive copies of the Codex documents pertaining to the agenda 
items for the 19th (Extraordinary) CCGP session, 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 will also be accessible via 
the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net. If you would like to submit comments on one 
or more agenda items, please send them to the FSIS Docket Clerk and 
reference Docket 03-036N. All comments submitted in response 
to this notice 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: Ed Scarbrough, U.S. Manager for Codex, 
U.S. Codex Office, FSIS, Room 4861, South Agriculture Building, 1400 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250, Telephone (202) 205-
7760; Fax: (202) 720-3157. Persons requiring a sign language 
interpreter or other special accommodations should notify Dr. 
Scarbrough at the above 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 
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 General Principles was established to deal 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 hosted by the government of France.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    Items on the Provisional Agenda will be discussed at the public 
meeting.

Provisional Agenda

Agenda Item 1
    Adoption of the Agenda CX/GP 03/19/1
Agenda Item 2
    Matter Referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, including the 
Joint FAO/WHO Evaluation of the Codex Alimentarius and Other FAO and 
WHO Work on Food Standards CX/GP 03/19/2
    Agenda Item 3
    (a) Proposed Amendments to the Rules of Procedure, including the 
Structure and Functions of the Executive Committee CX/GP 03/19/3
    (b) Proposed Amendment to Rule VII.5 CX/GP 03/19/3 Add. 2
    (c) Consideration of the Status of Observers in the Executive 
Committee CX/GP 03/19/3 Add.2
Agenda Item 4
    Processes for Standards Management (including the Critical Review):
    (a) Revision of the Criteria for the Establishment of Work 
Priorities CX/GP 03/19/4
    (b) Processes for Standards Management (including the review of the 
Elaboration Procedures) CX/GP 03/19/4 Add. 1
    Agenda Item 5
    Review of the Principles concerning the Participation of 
International Non-Governmental Organizations in the Work of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission CX/GP 03/19/5
Agenda Item 6
    Review of the Guidelines for Codex Committees
    (a) advice to host countries (including criteria for the selection 
of chairpersons) CX/GP /03/19/6
    (b) conduct of meetings CX/GP 03/19/6 Add. 1
Agenda Item 7
    Other proposals to facilitate standard development (other than 
Standard management Process): Review of the Guidelines for Codex 
Committees and other additional

[[Page 60905]]

text CX/GP 03/19/7

Public Meeting

    At the public meeting, the issues and draft United States' 
positions on the issues will be described and discussed, and attendees 
will have the opportunity to pose questions and offer comments. 
Comments may be sent to the FSIS Docket Room (see ADDRESSES). In 
addition, they may be sent electronically to the U.S. Delegate (see 
ADDRESSES). Please state that your comments relate to CCGP activities 
and specify which issues your comments address.

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 October 20, 2003.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 03-26817 Filed 10-23-03; 8:45 am]
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