[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 22 (Tuesday, February 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 5118]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-2132]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 03-044N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Twenty-sixth Session of the Codex 
Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling

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 February 10, 2004, to review the technical contents of the 
agenda item documents and to receive comments on all issues coming 
before the Twenty-sixth Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of 
Analysis and Sampling, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, March 
8-12, 2004.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 10, 2004 
from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Harvey Wiley Federal 
Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, Maryland 20740, 
Conference Room 1A 002.
    To receive copies of the documents relevant to this notice, contact 
the Food Safety and 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.codexalimentarius.net.
    Send comments (an original and two copies) to the FSIS Docket Clerk 
and reference Docket 03-044N. 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 Dr. 
Gregory Diachenko, Director, Division of Chemistry Research and 
Environmental Review, FDA, at telephone (301) 436-1898; Fax (301) 436-
2634.

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 Methods of Analysis and 
Sampling (CCMAS) performs multiple functions; defines criteria 
appropriate for Codex Methods of Analysis and Sampling; specifies 
reference methods of analysis and sampling; endorses methods of 
analysis and sampling proposed by Codex Committees; elaborates sampling 
plans; and considers specific sampling and analysis problems. The 
Government of Hungary 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:
     Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission and other Codex Committees.
     Proposed Draft General Guidelines on Sampling.
     Proposed Draft Guidelines on Measurement 
Uncertainty.
     Proposed Draft Guidelines for Evaluating 
Acceptable Methods of Analysis.
     Proposed Draft Guidelines for Settling Disputes 
on Analytical (Test) Results.
     Criteria for Methods of Analysis for Foods 
Derived from Biotechnology.
     The Use of Analytical Results: Sampling, 
Relationship between the Analytical Results, the Measurement 
Uncertainty, Recovery Factors and the Provisions in Codex Standards.
     Endorsement of Methods of Analysis and Sampling, 
including General Methods Provisions in Codex Standards.

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 January 29, 2004.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 04-2132 Filed 2-2-04; 8:45 am]
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