[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 60 (Thursday, March 27, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16260-16261]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6243]



[[Page 16260]]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2008-0009]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Food Labeling

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, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a public 
meeting on March 31, 2008. 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 36th 
Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Ottawa, Canada, 
on April 28 to May 2, 2008. In addition, a working group on the 
Implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Strategy 
on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health will meet on April 26, 2008. The 
Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of 
providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background 
information on the 36th Session of the CCFL and to address items on the 
agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 31, 2008, from 
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 107A, Jamie Whitten 
Federal Building, 1200 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250. 
Codex documents related to the 36th Session of the CCFL will be 
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp. 
    The U.S. Delegate to the CCFL, Dr. Barbara Schneeman, invites 
interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically to the 
following e-mail address: [email protected]. 
    For Further Information about the 36th Session of the CCFL Contact: 
Dr. Michael Wehr, FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 
5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740. Phone: (301) 436-
1724, Fax: (301) 436-2618, e-mail: [email protected]. 
    For Further Information about the Public Meeting Contact: Doreen 
Chen-Moulec, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and Inspection Service 
(FSIS), 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 Commission (Codex) was established in 1963 
by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO) and the WHO. 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 protect the health of consumers and ensure that fair 
practices are used in trade.
    The CCFL drafts provisions on labeling applicable to all foods; 
considers, amends if necessary, and endorses specific provisions on 
labeling of draft standards, codes of practice, and guidelines prepared 
by other Codex committees; studies specific labeling problems assigned 
to it by the Codex Alimentarius Commission; and studies problems 
associated with the advertisement of food with particular reference to 
claims and misleading descriptions. The CCFL is chaired by Canada.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 36th Session of the CCFL 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred to the CCFL from other Codex Bodies.
     Matters Referred by FAO and WHO: Implementation of the WHO 
Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health.
     Consideration of Labeling Provisions in Draft Codex 
Standards.
     Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labeling and 
Marketing of Organically Produced Foods: Draft Revised Annex 2: Table 
3, Draft Amendment: Addition of Ethylene, and Proposal for new work: 
Deletion of Rotenone from Annex 2.
     Labeling of Foods and Food Ingredients Obtained through 
Certain Techniques of Genetic Modification or Genetic Engineering: 
Definitions and Labeling Provisions.
     Draft Amendment to the General Standard for the Labeling 
of Prepackaged Foods: Quantitative Declaration of Ingredients.
     Draft Definition of Advertising in Relation to Nutrition 
and Health Claims.
     Discussion Paper on Modified Standardized Common Names
    Each item listed above will be fully described in documents 
distributed, or to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the 
April 28-May 2, 2008, meeting in Ottawa, Canada. Members of the public 
may access these documents on the World Wide Web (see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the March 31, 2008, public meeting, draft U.S. positions on the 
agenda items will be described and discussed, and attendees will have 
the opportunity to pose questions and offer comments. Written comments 
may be sent electronically to the U.S. Delegate for the CCFL, Dr. 
Barbara Schneeman (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that 
they relate to activities of the 36th Session of the CCFL.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that 
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/2008_Notices_Index/. FSIS 
will also 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, and other types of information 
that could affect or would be of interest to constituents and 
stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free 
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups, 
consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals 
who have asked to be included. The Update is also available on the FSIS 
Web page. Through the Listserv and Web page, FSIS is able to provide 
information to a much broader and more diverse audience. In addition, 
FSIS offers an e-mail subscription service which provides automatic and 
customized access to selected food safety news and information. This 
service is available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_and_events/email_subscription/. Options range from recalls to export information 
to regulations, directives and notices. Customers can add or delete 
subscriptions themselves, and they have the option to password protect 
their accounts.


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    Done at Washington, DC, on: March 24, 2008.
Karen L. Hulebak,
Acting U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. E8-6243 Filed 3-26-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P