[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 63 (Friday, April 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18149-18150]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7645]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2011-0005]


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

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), are sponsoring a public meeting on April 25, 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 39th Session of the Codex Committee on Food 
Labeling (CCFL) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which 
will be held in Qu[eacute]bec City, Canada May 9-13, 2011. The Under 
Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing 
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on 
the 39th session of the CCFL and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for April 25, 2011, from 2 p.m. 
to 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at USDA, Jamie L. Whitten 
Building, 1400 Independence Ave SW., Room 107-A, Washington, DC 20250. 
Documents related to the 39th Session of the CCFL will be accessible 
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
    Barbara Schneeman, U.S. Delegate to the 39th Session of the CCFL 
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 39th session of the CCFL by conference call, please use the 
following call-in number and participant code listed below:
Call-in Number: 1-866-692-3158
Participant Code: 5986642
    For Further Information About the 39th Session of the CCFL Contact: 
Barbara Schneeman, Ph.D., Director, Office of Nutritional Products, 
Labeling and Dietary Supplements, Center for Food Safety and Applied 
Nutrition, FDA, (HFS-800), 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 
20740, telephone: (301) 436-2373, fax: (301) 436-2636, e-mail: 
[email protected].
    For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Doreen 
Chen-Moulec, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20250, telephone: (202) 205-7760, 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 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 CCFL Committee on Food Labeling is responsible for drafting 
provisions on labeling applicable to all foods; considering amending, 
if necessary, and endorsing draft specific provisions on labeling 
prepared by the Codex Committees drafting standards, codes of practice 
and guidelines; studying specific labeling problems assigned to it by 
Codex; studying problems associated with the advertisement of food with 
particular reference to claims and misleading descriptions.
    The Committee is hosted by Canada.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 39th Session of the CCFL 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters referred to the CCFL.
     Consideration of labeling provisions in draft codex 
standards.
     Implementation of the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, 
Physical Activity and Health.
    (a) Draft Revision of the Guidelines on Nutrition Labeling 
concerning the list of nutrients that are always declared on a 
voluntary or mandatory basis (at Step 7).
    Recommendations on the declaration of sodium (salt).
    (b) Discussion paper on additional conditions for nutrient content 
claims and comparative claims in the

[[Page 18150]]

Guidelines for Use of Nutrition and Health Claims.
    (c) Consideration of the use of standardized symbols to represent 
the ingredients identified in the WHO Global Strategy.
    (d) Mandatory nutrition labeling.
     Guidelines for the production, processing, labeling and 
marketing of organically produced foods.
    (a) Annex 1: Inclusion of ethylene for other products at Step 7.
    Use of ethylene for the ripening of fruit.
    Justification against the criteria in section 5.1 regarding the use 
of ethylene for de-greening of citrus fruit, induction of flowering in 
pineapples and sprout inhibition in potatoes and onions.
    (b) Annex II: Inclusion of new substances.
    (c) Organic aquaculture.
     Labeling of foods and food ingredients obtained through 
certain techniques of Genetic Modification/Genetic Engineering.
    (a) Draft Amendment to the General Standard for the Labeling of 
Prepacked Foods: Definitions (at Step 7).
    (b) Proposed Draft Recommendations for the Labeling of Foods and 
Food Ingredients through Certain Techniques of Genetic Modification/
Genetic Engineering (at Step 4).
     Proposed Draft Definition of Nutrient Reference Values 
Proposal and replies to Circulating Letter (CL) 2010/21-FL.
     Discussion paper on the need to amend the General Standard 
for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (Codex Stan 1-1985) in line with 
the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) 
Recommendations regarding the declaration of the quantity of the 
product in prepackages.
     Modified Standardized Common Names.
     Discussion paper on exchange of information between 
competent authorities when suspecting fraud concerning organic products 
including replies to CL 2010/20-FL.
    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 April 25, 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 39th 
Session of the CCFL, Barbara Schneeman (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 39th 
Session of the CCFL.

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: March 25, 2011.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2011-7645 Filed 3-31-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P