[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 13 (Thursday, January 20, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3603-3604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1147]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2010-0043]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Methods of Analysis and Sampling

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), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), are 
sponsoring a public meeting on February 9, 2011. The objective of the 
public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on 
agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions that will be 
discussed at the 32nd session of the Codex Committee on Methods of 
Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
(Codex), which will be held in Budapest, Hungary March 7-11, 2011. The 
Under Secretary for Food Safety and the FDA recognize the importance of 
providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background 
information on the 32nd session of the CCMAS and to address items on 
the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for February 9, 2011, from 11 
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at FDA, Harvey Wiley 
Building, Room 2B047, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 
20740. Documents related to the 32nd session of the CCMAS will be 
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
    Gregory Diachenko, U.S. Delegate to the 32nd session of the CCMAS, 
and the FDA, invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments 
electronically to the following e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    Call In Number:
    If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 32nd 
session of the CCMAS by conference call, please use the following call 
in number and participant code listed below.
    Call in Number: 1-866-859-5767.
    Participant code: 2225276.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 32nd SESSION OF THE CCMAS CONTACT:  
Gregory Diachenko, PhD, Director, Division of Product Manufacture and 
Use Office of Premarket Approval, CFSAN, FDA, Harvey W. Wiley Federal 
Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740-3835, 
Phone: (301) 436-2387, Fax: (301) 436-2364, E-mail: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLIC MEETING CONTACT: Marie 
Maratos, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4861, 
Washington, DC 20250. Phone: (202) 690-4795, Fax: (202) 412-7901, 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 CCMAS is responsible for defining the criteria appropriate to 
Codex Methods of Analysis and Sampling; serving as a coordinating body 
for Codex with other international groups working in methods of 
analysis and sampling and quality assurance systems for laboratories; 
specifying the basis of final recommendations submitted to it by other 
bodies; considering, amending, and endorsing, methods of analysis and 
sampling proposed by Codex (Commodity) Committees, except that methods 
of analysis and sampling for residues of pesticides or veterinary drugs 
in food, the assessment of microbiological quality and safety in food, 
and the assessment of specifications for food additives, do not fall 
within the terms of reference of this Committee; elaborating sampling 
plans and procedures; considering specific sampling and analysis 
problems submitted to it by Codex or any of its Committees; and 
defining procedures, protocols, guidelines or related texts for the 
assessment of food laboratory proficiency, as well as quality assurance 
systems for laboratories.
    The Committee is hosted by Hungary.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 32nd session of the CCMAS 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred to the Committee by the Codex and Other 
Codex Committees
     Draft Revised Guidelines on Measurement Uncertainty
     Endorsement of Methods of Analysis Provisions in Codex 
Standards
     Guidance on Procedures for Conformity Assessment and 
Resolution of Disputes
     Use of Proprietary Methods in Codex Standards
     Report of an Inter-Agency Meeting on Methods of Analysis
    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 February 9, 2011, 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 32nd session of the CCMAS, Greg Diachenko (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 32nd 
session of the CCMAS.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

    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

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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_&_policies/Federal_Register_Notices/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, 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 January 12, 2011.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2011-1147 Filed 1-19-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P