[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7505-7506]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1991]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2005-0046]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: 38th Session of the Codex 
Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting, request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United 
States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA), United States Department of Health and Human 
Services, are sponsoring a public meeting on March 6, 2006, to provide 
information and receive public comments on agenda items that will be 
discussed at the meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Additives and 
Contaminants (CCFAC), which will be held in The Hague, The Netherlands, 
on April 24-28, 2006. The Under Secretary and FDA recognize the 
importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain 
background information on the agenda items that will be discussed at 
this forthcoming session of the CCFAC.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 6, 2006, from 
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Auditorium (Room 1A-
003), Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, 
College Park, Maryland. Documents related to the 38th Session of the 
CCFAC will also be accessible via the World Wide Web at the following 
address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
    FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments on this notice. 
Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: This Web site provides the ability to 
type short comments directly into the comment field on this Web page or 
attach a file for lengthier comments. FSIS prefers to receive comments 
through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov and, in the ``Search for Open Regulations'' box, 
select ``Food Safety and Inspection Service'' from the agency drop-down 
menu, then click on ``Submit.'' In the Docket ID column, select the 
FDMS Docket Number (FSIS-2005-0046) to submit or view public comments 
and to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
    Mail, including floppy disks or CD-ROMs, 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 Building, Washington, DC 20250.
    Electronic mail: [email protected]. All 
submissions received must include the Agency name and docket number 
FSIS-2005-0046. All comments submitted in response to this notice, as 
well as research and background information used by FSIS in developing 
this document, will be posted to the regulations.gov Web site. The 
background information and comments also 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 38TH SESSION OF THE CCFAC CONTACT: 
U.S. Delegate, Dr. Terry Troxell, Director, Office of Plant and Dairy 
Foods and Beverages, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, 
Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway (HFS-300), 
College Park, MD 20740, Phone: (301) 436-1700, Fax: (301) 436-2632, E-
mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLIC MEETING 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. Attendees are requested to pre-
register as soon as possible by e-mail to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) was established in 1963 
by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Codex is 
the major international standard-setting 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 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manage and carry out U.S. 
Codex activities.
    The Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC) 
establishes or endorses maximum or guideline levels for individual food 
additives, for contaminants (including environmental contaminants), and 
for naturally occurring toxicants in foodstuffs and animal feeds. In 
addition the Committee prepares priority lists of food additives and 
contaminants for toxicological evaluation by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert 
Committee on Food Additives (JECFA); recommends specifications of 
identity and purity for food additives for adoption by the Commission; 
considers methods of analysis for the determination of food additives 
and contaminants in food; and considers and elaborates standards or

[[Page 7506]]

codes for related subjects such as the labeling of food additives when 
sold as such, and food irradiation. The Committee is chaired by The 
Netherlands.

Issues to Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    Items on the provisional agenda of the 38th session of CCFAC to be 
discussed during the public meeting:
    1. Matters referred or of interest to the committee arising from 
the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other Codex committees, including 
the endorsement or revision of maximum levels for food additives and 
contaminants in Codex commodity standards.
    2. Summary report of the 65th meeting of the JECFA and any actions 
required as a result of changes in the acceptable daily intake (ADI) 
status and other toxicological recommendations.
    3. Consideration of the Codex General Standard for Food Additives 
(GSFA) including:
    (i) Draft Revision of the Preamble of the GSFA,
    (ii) Revisions to the CCFAC's working principles for the further 
elaboration of the GSFA, including incorporating the food additive 
provisions in Codex Commodity Standards into the GSFA,
    (iii) Report of the electronic working group on the GSFA,
    (iv) Draft and proposed draft food additives provisions requiring 
information on their use, and
    (v) Proposed draft food additive provisions at Step 3 and proposals 
for new uses.
    4. Discussion Paper on Food Additive Provisions on Glazes for 
Foods.
    5. Discussion Paper on the Development of Guidelines for Flavouring 
Agents.
    6. Updated Inventory of Processing Aids (IPA).
    7. International Numbering System (INS) for Food Additives.
    (i) Harmonization of Terms used by Codex and JECFA,
    (ii) Proposals for revisions or additions to the INS.
    8. Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives.
    9. Consideration of the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and 
Toxins (GSCT) with proposed draft revisions.
    10. Proposed Draft Appendix to the Code of Practice for the 
Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in Tree Nuts to 
address additional measures for the prevention and reduction of 
aflatoxins in Brazil nuts.
    11. Proposed draft Sampling Plan for Aflatoxin contamination in 
almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios.
    12. Proposed draft maximum levels for Aflatoxin in unprocessed and 
processed almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachios.
    13. Discussion Paper on Aflatoxins in Brazil nuts.
    14. Discussion Paper on Deoxynivalenol (DON).
    15. Discussion Paper on maximum levels for Ochratoxin (OTA) in 
Wine.
    16. Discussion Paper on Ochratoxin A Contamination in Coffee and 
Cocoa.
    17. Draft maximum levels for Lead in Fish.
    18. Discussion Paper on maximum levels for Lead in Fish
    19. Draft maximum levels for Cadmium in polished rice, marine 
bivalve mollusks, and cephalopods.
    20. Proposed draft Code of Practice for Source Directed Measures to 
Reduce Dioxin and Dioxin-like PCB Contamination of Foods and feeds.
    21. Proposed draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of 
Chloropropanols during the Production of Acid Hydrolyzed Vegetable 
Protein (HVPs) and Products that Contain Acid HVPs.
    22. Proposed draft maximum level for 3-MCPD in Liquid Condiments 
Containing HVPs and Discussion Paper on Acid-HVPs Containing Products 
and other Products containing Chloropropanols.
    23. Proposed draft maximum levels for Tin in canned beverages and 
other canned foods.
    24. Discussion paper on Acrylamide.
    25. Discussion paper on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) 
contamination.
    26. Discussion paper on Guideline Levels for Methylmercury in fish.
    27. Proposed Draft revised Guideline Levels for Radionuclides in 
Foods for use in International Trade.
    28. Priority list of food additives, contaminants, and naturally 
occurring toxicants proposed for evaluation by JECFA.
    29. Discussion Paper on the Development of a Maximum Level for 
Aflatoxins in Dried Figs.
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by The Netherlands' Secretariat to the Meeting. 
Members of the public may access or request copies of these documents 
(see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the March 6, 2006, 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 U.S. Delegate for the 38th Session of the CCFAC, 
Dr. Terry Troxell (See FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 38TH SESSION 
OF THE CCFAC CONTACT). Written comments should state that they relate 
to activities of the 38th Session of the CCFAC.

Additional Public Information

    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/regulations/2006_Notices_Index/index.asp.
    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 meeting, 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 is available on the FSIS web page. Through 
Listserv and the web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a 
much broader, more diverse audience.
    In addition, FSIS offers an e-mail subscription service which 
provides an automatic and customized notification when popular pages 
are updated, including Federal Register publications and related 
documents. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_and_events/email_subscription/ and allows FSIS customers to sign up 
for subscription options across eight categories. Options range from 
recalls to export information to regulations, directives and notices.

    Done at Washington, DC on February 6, 2006.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
 [FR Doc. E6-1991 Filed 2-10-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P