[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 38 (Monday, February 27, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9777-9778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2683]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2006-0001]


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) is sponsoring a public meeting on 
March 21, 2006. 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 23rd Session of 
the Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP) of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Paris, France, 
April 10-14, 2006. The Under Secretary for Food Safety recognizes the 
importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain 
background information on the 23rd Session of CCGP and to address items 
on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 21, 2006 from 
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 107-A, Jamie Lee 
Whitten Building, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250. Documents related to the 23rd 
Session of the CCGP will be accessible via the World Wide Web at the 
following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.
    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-2006-0001 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-2006-0001. 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

[[Page 9778]]

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.
     In addition to submitting comments by mail to the above 
address, the U.S. Codex Office invites U.S. interested parties to 
submit their comments electronically to the following e-mail address 
([email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: F. Edward Scarbrough, U.S. Manager for 
Codex, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250, Phone: (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 
720-3157. E-mail: [email protected],gov
    For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Jasmine 
Matthews, 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius (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 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 (CCGP) deals with rules 
and procedures referred to it by the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
including the establishment of principles which define the purpose and 
scope of the Codex Alimentarius and the nature of Codex standards. The 
development of mechanisms to address any economic impact statements is 
also the responsibility of the CCGP. The committee is hosted by the 
Government of the French Republic.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 23rd Session of the 
Committee will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred to the Committee:
     Matters Referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and 
other Codex Committees.
     Matters arising from the last Session of the Committee on 
General Principles: Management of the Work of the Codex Committee on 
Food Hygiene.
     Proposed Draft Working Principles for Risk Analysis for 
Food Safety.
     Proposed Draft Revised Code of Ethics for International 
Trade in Foods.
     Proposed Amendments to the Rules of Procedure:
     Duration of the term of office of the Members of the 
Executive Committee.
     Respective roles of the Regional Coordinators and the 
Members of the Executive Committee elected on a geographic basis.
     Review of the Procedures for the Elaboration of Codex 
Standards and Related Texts:
     Proposed amendments to the Procedures (proposal from 
India).
     Review of the Guide to the Consideration of Standards at 
Step 8 of the Procedure for the Elaboration of Codex Standards and 
Related Texts, including consideration of any Statement Relating to 
Economic Impact; Guide to the Procedure for the Revision and 
arrangements for the Amendment of Codex Standards Elaborated by Codex 
Committees which have adjourned sine die.
     Review of the General Principles of the Codex 
Alimentarius.
     Consideration of the term ``interim'' as relates to the 
adoption of Codex standards and related texts.
     Proposed new definitions of risk analysis terms related to 
food safety (proposal from New Zealand).
     Consideration of the Structure and Presentation of the 
Procedural Manual.
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by the French Secretariat prior to the Meeting. 
Members of the public may access or request copies of these documents 
(see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the March 21st public meeting, draft U.S. positions on these 
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. Codex Office (see 
ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they relate to 
activities of the 23rd Session of the CCGP.

Additional 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 online 
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 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 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. 
Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves and have the 
option to password protect their account.

    Done at Washington, DC, on February 14, 2006.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. E6-2683 Filed 2-24-06; 8:45 am]
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