[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 146 (Tuesday, July 29, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43912-43913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17257]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
 appearing in this section.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 146 / Tuesday, July 29, 2008 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2008-0021]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Processed Fruits and Vegetables

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), and the Agricultural Marketing 
Service (AMS) are hosting a public meeting on August 14th, 2008. The 
objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive 
public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions for 
the 24th Session of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and 
Vegetables (CCPFV), which will be held in Arlington, VA (Washington, 
DC, metro area), September 15-20, 2008. The Under Secretary for Food 
Safety and AMS recognize the importance of providing interested parties 
the opportunity to obtain background information on this forthcoming 
Session of CCPFV and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 14, 2008, 
from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 2068, USDA, South 
Agriculture Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC. 
Documents related to the 24th Session of CCPFV will be accessible via 
the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
    The U.S. Delegate to the 24th Session of the CCPFV, Dorian LaFond, 
AMS, invites interested parties to submit their comments electronically 
to the following e-mail address [email protected].

For Further Information About the 24th Session of CCPFV Contact: Dorian 
LaFond, International Standards Coordinator, Fruit and Vegetable 
Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA, 1400 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250, Phone: (202) 690-4944, Fax: (202) 
720-0016, e-mail: [email protected].

For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Doreen Chen-
Moulec, International Issues Analyst, U.S. Codex Office, USDA, FSIS, 
Room 4861, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, 
DC 20250, Phone: (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 720-3157. E-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius (Codex) was established in 1963 by two 
United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and 
the World Health Organization. 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 Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables is hosted by 
the United States. It elaborates new and revised worldwide standards 
for various processed fruits and vegetables, including certain dried 
and canned products. This committee does not cover standards for fruit 
and vegetable juices.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 24th Session of CCPFV 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred to the Committee From Other Codex Bodies;
     Proposed Layout for Codex Standards for Processed Fruits 
and Vegetables;
     Draft Codex Standards for Jams, Jellies and Marmalades;
     Draft Codex Standard for Certain Canned Vegetables 
(General Provisions);
     Proposed Draft Annexes Specific to Certain Canned 
Vegetables (Draft Codex Standard for Certain Canned Vegetables);
     Proposed Draft Guidelines for Packing Media on Canned 
Vegetables;
     Proposed Draft Sampling Plans, including Methodological 
Provisions for Controlling Minimum Drained Weight of Canned Fruits and 
Vegetables in Packing Media;
     Proposals for Amendments to the Priority List for the 
Standardization of Processed Fruits and Vegetables;
     Methods of Analysis for Processed Fruits and Vegetables; 
and
     Food Additive Provisions for Processed Fruits and 
Vegetables.

Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, or 
to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the Meeting. Members of 
the public may access or request copies of these documents (see 
ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the August 14th, 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 offered at the meeting or sent to the U.S. Delegate for 
the 24th Session of CCPFV, Dorian LaFond (see For Further Information 
About the 24th Session of the CCPFV Contact). Written comments should 
state that they relate to activities of the 24th Session of the CCPFV.

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 on-line through the FSIS Web page located 
at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2008_Notices_Index/. 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 constituents 
and stakeholders. The update is communicated via Listserv, a free 
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups, 
consumer interest groups, health professionals,

[[Page 43913]]

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.

    Done at Washington, DC, on July 23, 2008.
Paulo Almeida,
Acting U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
 [FR Doc. E8-17257 Filed 7-28-08; 8:45 am]
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