[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 5 (Friday, January 8, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1027-1028]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-218]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2009-0037]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Milk and Milk Products

AGENCY: Office for Food Safety, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office for Food Safety, and the Agricultural Marketing 
Service (AMS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are 
sponsoring a public meeting on January 13, 2010. 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 9th Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products 
(CCMMP) of the Codex

[[Page 1028]]

Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Auckland, New 
Zealand, February 1-5, 2010. The Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety 
and the AMS recognize the importance of providing interested parties 
the opportunity to obtain background information on the 9th Session of 
the CCMMP and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 
from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 3074, South 
Agriculture Building, USDA, 14th Street and Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20250. Documents related to the 9th Session of the CCMMP 
will be accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: 
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
    The U.S. Delegate to the 9th Session of the CCMMP, Duane R. Spomer, 
AMS, invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments 
electronically to the following e-mail address: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan M. Sausville, Chief, AMS, Dairy 
Standardization; Telephone: (202) 720-9382; Fax: (202) 720-2643; e-
mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    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 CCMMP was established to elaborate codes and standards for milk 
and milk products. The CCMMP is hosted by the Government of New 
Zealand.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 9th Session of the CCMMP 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
    1. Matters Referred by the Codex and other Codex committees and 
task forces.
    2. Draft Amendment to the Codex Standard for Fermented Milks (CODEX 
STAN 243-2003) pertaining to drinks based on fermented milk.
    3. Report of the working group on the proposed draft standard for 
processed cheese.
    4. Maximum levels for annatto extracts in Codex standards for milk 
and milk products.
    5. Report of the International Dairy Federation and the 
International Organization for Standardization Working Group on Methods 
of Analysis and Sampling for Milk and Milk Products.
    6. Inconsistent presentation of food additive provisions in Codex 
standards for milk and milk products.
    7. Consistency of the Model Export Certificate for Milk and Milk 
Products with the Generic Model Official Certificate (Annex to the 
Guidelines for Design, Production, Issuance and Use of Generic Official 
Certificates.)
    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 these documents (see ADDRESSES)

Public Meeting

    At the January 13, 2010 public meeting, draft United States 
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 
Susan Sausville (see ADDRESSES.) Written comments should state that 
they relate to activities of the 9th Session of the CCMMP.

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/2009_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 electronic 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 have the option to 
password protect their accounts.

    Done at Washington, DC, on January 5, 2010.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2010-218 Filed 1-6-10; 4:15 pm]
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