[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8710-8711]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-3362]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2010-0046]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Contaminants in Food

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), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a 
public meeting on February 22, 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 5th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food 
(CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held 
in The Hague, The Netherlands, March 21-25, 2011. The Under Secretary 
for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing 
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on 
the 5th Session of the CCCF and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 
from 1 to 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Harvey W. Wiley 
Federal Building, Room 1A-001, FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied 
Nutrition (CFSAN), 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740. 
Documents related to the 5th Session of the CCCF will be accessible via 
the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.Nega Beru, PhD, the U.S. Delegate 
to the 5th Session of the CCCF, invites interested U.S. parties to 
submit their comments electronically to the following e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    Registration: Attendees may register electronically at the same e-
mail address provided above by February 18, 2011. The meeting will be 
held in a Federal building, therefore, early registration is encouraged 
as it will expedite entry into the building and its parking area. You 
should also bring photo identification and plan for adequate time to 
pass through security screening systems. If you require parking, please 
include the vehicle make and tag number when you register. Attendees 
that are not able to attend the meeting in-person but wish to 
participate may do so by phone.
    Call-In Number: If you wish to participate in the public meeting 
for the 5th Session of the CCCF by conference call, please use the 
call-in number and participant code listed below:
    Call-in Number: 1-866-692-3158.
    Participant Code: 5986642.
    For Further Information About the 5th Session of the CCCF Contact: 
Henry Kim, Ph.D., Office of Food Safety, CFSAN/FDA, HFS-317, 5100 Paint 
Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740. Telephone: (301) 436-2023, Fax: 
(301) 436-2651, e-mail: [email protected].
    For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Barbara 
McNiff, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4870, 
Washington, DC 20250. Telephone: (202) 690-4719, Fax: (202) 720-3157, 
e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    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 that fair practices are 
used in the food trade.
    The CCCF establishes or endorses permitted maximum levels of 
contaminants, and where necessary revises existing guidelines for

[[Page 8711]]

contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed; 
prepares priority lists of contaminants and naturally occurring 
toxicants for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on 
Food Additives (JECFA); considers and elaborates methods of analysis 
and sampling for the determination of contaminants and naturally 
occurring toxicants in food and feed; considers and elaborates 
standards or codes of practice for related subjects; and considers 
other matters assigned to it by Codex in relation to contaminants and 
naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed.
    The Committee is chaired by The Netherlands.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 5th Session of the CCCF 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred to the CCCF by Codex and other Codex 
Committees and Task Forces.
     Matters of Interest Arising from FAO and WHO (including 
JECFA).
     Matters of Interest Arising from other International 
Organizations--International Atomic Energy Agency
     Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of Ethyl 
Carbamate in Stone Fruit Distillates.
     Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Melamine in Food (Liquid 
infant formula).
     Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Deoxynivalenol and its 
Acetylated Derivatives in Cereals and Cereal-based Products.
     Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Total Aflatoxins in 
Dried Figs.
     Editorial Amendments to the General Standard for 
Contaminants and Toxins in Foods and Feeds.
     Discussion Paper on Mycotoxins in Sorghum.
     Discussion Paper on Arsenic in Rice.
     Discussion Paper on Guidance for Risk Management. Options 
on How to Deal with the Results from New Risk Assessment Methodologies.
     Discussion Paper on Ochratoxin A in Cocoa.
     Discussion Paper on Furan.
     Discussion Paper on Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids.
     Endorsement of Provisions for Health-related Limits for 
Certain Substances in the Standard for Natural Mineral Waters.
     Priority List of Contaminants and Naturally Occurring 
Toxicants Proposed for Evaluation by JECFA.
    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 February 22, 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 Dr. Henry Kim for the 
5th Session of the CCCF (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state 
that they relate to activities of the 5th Session of the CCCF.

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 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 February 4, 2011.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2011-3362 Filed 2-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P