[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 191 (Monday, October 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61119-61120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24767]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2010-0032]


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

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 Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA), Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a public meeting on 
November 2, 2010. The objective of the public meeting is to provide 
information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. 
positions that will be discussed at the 42nd Session of the Codex 
Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
(Codex), which will be held in Kampala, Uganda, from November 29 
through December 3, 2010. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA 
recognize the importance of providing interested parties the 
opportunity to obtain background information on the 42nd session of the 
CCFH and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 2, 2010, 
from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the USDA, Whitten 
Building,

[[Page 61120]]

1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 107-A, Washington, DC 20250. 
Documents related to the 42nd Session of the CCFH will be accessible 
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
    Call In Information:
    Call in Number: 1-866-692-3158.
    Passcode: 5986642.
    The U.S. Delegate to the 42nd Session of the CCFH, Ms. Jenny Scott, 
invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically 
to the following e-mail address [email protected].
    For Further Information About the 42nd Session of the CCFH Contact: 
Barbara McNiff, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4870, Washington, 
DC 20250, (202) 690-4719, [email protected].
    For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Jasmine 
Matthews, Program Analyst, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Room 4861, Washington, DC 20250, (202) 690-1124, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Codex was established in 1963 by two United Nations 
organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the 
World Health Organization (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 fair 
practices in the food trade.
    The CCFH was established to draft basic provisions on food hygiene 
applicable to all food; to consider, amend if necessary, and endorse 
provisions on hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and 
contained in Codex codes of practice unless, in specific cases, the 
Codex has decided otherwise; to draft provisions on hygiene applicable 
to specific food items or food groups, whether coming within the terms 
of reference of a Codex commodity committee or not; to consider 
specific hygiene problems assigned to it by the Codex; to suggest and 
prioritize areas where there is a need for microbiological risk 
assessment at the international level; to develop questions to be 
addressed by the risk assessors; and, to consider microbiological risk 
management matters in relation to food hygiene, including food 
irradiation, and in relation to the risk assessment of FAO and WHO.
    The CCFH is hosted by the United States of America.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 42nd Session of the CCFH 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and 
Other Codex Committees to the CCFH
     Matters Arising from the Work of FAO, WHO, and Other 
International Intergovernmental Organizations:
    (a) Progress Report on the Joint FAO and WHO Expert Meetings on 
Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) and Related Matters
    (b) Information from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
     Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter 
and Salmonella spp. in Chicken Meat at Step 4.
     Proposed Draft Guidelines on the Application of General 
Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Viruses in Food at Step 4.
     Proposed Draft Revision of the Recommended International 
Code of Hygenic Practice for Collecting, Processing, and Marketing of 
Natural Mineral Waters at Step 4.
     Proposed Draft Revision of the Principles for the 
Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Foods at 
Step 4.
    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 copies of these documents (see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the November 2, 2010, 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 42nd Session of the CCFH, Jenny Scott (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 42nd 
Session of the CCFH.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination 
in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, 
national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, 
sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited 
bases apply to all programs.)
    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, 
etc.) should contact USDA's Target Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and 
TTY).
    To file a written complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office 
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TTY). 
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Additional Public Notification

    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/2010_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, 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 also 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 automatic and customized access to selected food 
safety news and information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Email_Subscription/.
    Options range from recalls, export information, 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 September 28, 2010.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2010-24767 Filed 10-1-10; 8:45 am]
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