[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 156 (Friday, August 13, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50157-50158]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-18500]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 04-025N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: 22nd Session of the Codex 
Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting, request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice informs the public that the Office of the Under 
Secretary for Food Safety, United States Department of Agriculture 
(USDA), and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA, are 
sponsoring a public meeting on August 31, 2004, to provide information 
and receive public comments on agenda items that will be discussed at 
the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV), which 
will be held in Alexandria, Virginia on September 27-October 1, 2004. 
The Under Secretary and AMS recognize the importance of providing 
interested parties with information about the Processed Fruits and 
Vegetables Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and 
to address items on the Agenda for the 22nd CCPFV.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 31, 2004, 
from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 3501 South Building, 
United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., 
Washington, DC. To receive copies of the documents referenced in the 
notice contact the Docket Clerk, (FSIS Docket Room), U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 102, Cotton 
Annex, 300 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20250. The documents will 
also be accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address 
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/ccpfv22/pf22_01e.htm. FSIS invites 
interested persons to submit comments on this notice. Comments may be 
submitted by any of the following methods:
     Mail, including floppy disks or CD-ROM's, and hand- or 
courier-delivered items: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 300 12th Street, SW., 
Room 102 Cotton Annex, Washington, DC 20250.
    All submissions received must include the Agency name and docket 
number 04-025N. All comments submitted in response to this notice, as 
well as research and background information used by FSIS in developing 
this document, will be available for public inspection in the FSIS 
Docket Room at the address listed above between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 
p.m., Monday through Friday. The comments also will be posted on the 
Agency's Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRDockets.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Matten, 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. Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or 
other special accommodations should notify Ms. Matten 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 
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, the Food and Drug Administration of the Department 
of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency 
manage and carry out U.S. Codex.
    The Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables elaborates 
world wide standards for various processed fruits and vegetables, 
including certain dried and canned products. This committee does not 
cover standards for fruit and vegetable juices. The Commission has also 
allocated to this Committee the work of revision of standards for quick 
frozen fruits and vegetables. The Committee is chaired by the United 
States of America.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The provisional agenda items 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 Codex Draft Revised Standards at Step 7.
    Pickled Products.
    4. Consideration of Proposed Draft Codex Standards at Step 4.
    Processed Tomato Concentrates.
    Canned Tomatoes.
    Canned Vegetables, including Guidelines for Packing Media for 
Canned Vegetables.
    Jams, Jellies and Marmalades.
    Soy Sauce.
    Canned Citrus Fruits.
    5. Proposals for Amendments to the Priority List for the 
Standardization of Processed Fruits and Vegetables.
    6. Other Business and Future Work.
    Methods of Analysis and Sampling for Processed Fruits and 
Vegetables.
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by the United States' Secretariat to the Meeting. 
Members of the public may access or request copies of these documents 
(see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the August 31st public meeting, the agenda items will be 
described, discussed, and attendees will have the opportunity to pose 
questions and offer comments. Comments may be sent to the FSIS Docket 
Room (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they relate to 
activities of the 22nd CCPFV, docket number 04-025N.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that the 
public and in particular minorities, women, and persons with 
disabilities, are aware of this notice, FSIS will announce it on-line 
through the FSIS Web page located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov.
    FSIS also will make copies of this Federal Register publication 
available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide 
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal 
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, recalls, and other types of 
information that could affect or would be of interest to our 
constituents and stakeholders. The update is communicated via Listserv, 
a free e-mail subscription service consisting of industry, trade, and 
farm groups, consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, 
scientific professionals, and other individuals who have requested to 
be included. The update also is available on the FSIS Web page.

[[Page 50158]]

Through Listserv and the Web page, FSIS is able to provide information 
to a much broader, more diverse audience.

    Done in Washington, DC on August 9, 2004.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 04-18500 Filed 8-12-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P