[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 38 (Friday, February 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10556-10557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4265]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2010-0036]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Fish and Fishery Products

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 Center for Food Safety and 
Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are sponsoring a 
public meeting on March 16, 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 
31st session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products 
(CCFFP) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be 
held in Tromso, Norway, April 11-16, 2011. The Under Secretary for Food 
Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties 
the opportunity to obtain background information on the 31st session of 
the CCFFP and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for March 16, 2011, from 1 p.m. 
to 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at FDA, in the Harvey W. 
Wiley Building, Auditorium (1A003), 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College 
Park, MD 20740.
    Documents related to the 31st session of the CCFFP will be 
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
    Donald Kraemer, U.S. Delegate to the 31st session of the CCFFP, and 
FDA, invites interested U.S. 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 31st 
session of the CCFFP 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 31st Session of the CCFFP 
Contact: Donald Kraemer, Acting Director, Office of Seafood, Center for 
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, 
College Park, MD 20740, phone: (301) 436-2300, fax: (301) 436-2599, e-
mail: [email protected].
    For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Kenneth 
Lowery, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4861, 
Washington, DC 20250, phone: (202) 690-4042, 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 trade.
    The CCFFP is responsible for elaborating worldwide standards for 
fresh, frozen (including quick frozen) or otherwise processed fish, 
crustaceans, and mollusks.
    The CCFFP is hosted by Norway.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 31st session of the CCFFP 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred to the CCFFP, Codex, and Other Codex 
Committees.
     Matters Arising from the Work of the FAO and WHO.
     Draft Standard for Fish Sauce.
     Draft Standard for Smoked Fish, Smoke-Flavoured Fish and 
Smoke Dried Fish.
     Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery 
Products (Other Sections Including Smoked Fish).
     Proposed Draft Amendment to Section 3.4.5.1 Water Code of 
Practice for Fish and Fishery Products.
     Proposed Draft Standard for Quick Frozen Scallop Adductor 
Muscle Meat.
     Proposed Draft Code of Practice on the Processing of 
Scallop Meat.
     Proposed Draft Revision of the Procedure for the Inclusion 
of Additional Species in Standards for Fish and Fishery Products.
     Proposed Draft List of Methods for Determination of 
Biotoxins in the Standard for Raw and Live Bivalve Mollusks.
     Proposed Draft Standards for Fresh/Live and Frozen and 
Frozen Abalone (Haliotis spp.).
     Proposed Draft Amendment to the Standard for Quick Frozen 
Fish Sticks.
     Proposed Food Additive Provisions in Standards for Fish 
and Fishery Products.
     Model 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 copies of these documents (see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the March 16, 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 31st 
session of the CCFFP, Donald Kraemer (see ADDRESSES). Written comments 
should state that they relate to activities of the 31st session of the 
CCFFP.

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

[[Page 10557]]

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 18, 2011.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2011-4265 Filed 2-24-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P