[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 197 (Wednesday, October 12, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63280-63281]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-26282]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2011-0022]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses

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 October 20, 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 33rd Session of the Codex 
Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU)of 
the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Bad 
Soden am Taunus, Germany from November 14-18, 2011. In addition, two 
working groups will meet on November 12 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to 
discuss the Proposed Draft Revision of the Guidelines on Formulated 
Supplementary Foods for Older Infants and Young Children, and the 
Proposed Draft Revision of the Codex General Principles for the 
Addition of Essential Nutrients to Foods.
    The Under Secretary for Food Safety and the FDA recognize the 
importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain 
background information on the 33rd Session of the CCNFSDU and to 
address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for October 20, 2011 from 1 
p.m.-4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Harvey Wiley 
Building, FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, (CFSAN), 
5100 Paint Branch Parkway, Room (1A-003) College Park, MD 20740. 
Parking is adjacent to this building and will be available at no charge 
to individuals who preregister by the date below (See Pre-
Registration). In addition, the College Park metro station is across 
the street.
    Documents related to the 33rd Session of the CCNFSDU 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 33rd Session of the 
CCNFSDU, invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments 
electronically to the following e-mail address: [email protected].
    Pre-Registration: To pre-register for this meeting, please send the 
following information to this e-mail address ([email protected]) 
by October 13, 2011.

--Your name
--Organization
--Mailing Address
--Phone number
--E-mail address

Call-In Number

    If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 33rd 
Session of the CCNFSDU by conference call, please use call-in number 
and participant code listed below.

Call-in Number: 1-866-859-5767
Participant Code: 2225276
    For Further Information About the 33rd Session of the CCNFSDU 
Contact: Nancy Crane, Senior Advisor to the U.S. CCNFSDU Delegate, 
Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements, CFSAN (HFS-830), 
FDA, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740, telephone: 
(240) 402-1450, fax: (301) 436-2636, e-mail: [email protected].
    For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Paulo 
Almeida, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4861, 
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 (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 implementation by governments, Codex seeks to protect 
the health of consumers and ensure that fair practices are used in 
trade.
    The CCNFSDU is responsible for:
    (a) Studying specific nutritional problems assigned to it by Codex 
and advising Codex on general nutrition issues;
    (b) Drafting general provisions as appropriate, concerning the 
nutritional aspects of all foods;
    (c) Developing standards, guidelines, or related texts for foods 
for special dietary uses, in cooperation with other committees where 
necessary; and
    (d) Considering, amending if necessary, and endorsing provisions on 
nutritional aspects proposed for inclusion in Codex standards, 
guidelines, and related texts.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 33rd Session of the 
CCNFSDU will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred to the CCNFSDU by Codex and/or Other 
Codex Committees.
     Matters of Interest Arising from the FAO and WHO.
     Proposed Draft Additional or Revised Nutrient Reference 
Values (for Labeling Purposes in the Codex Guidelines on Nutrition 
Labeling at Step 4).
     Report from FAO and WHO on Nutrient Reference Values.
     Revised Draft of the General Principles for Establishing 
Nutrient Reference Values for labeling purposes for Nutrients 
Associated with Risk of Diet-Related Noncommunicable Diseases for the 
General Population at Step 4 (in light of comments at Step 3).
     Proposed Draft Nutrient Reference Values for Nutrients 
Associated with Risk of Diet-Related Noncommunicable Diseases.
     Proposed Draft Revision of the Codex General Principles 
for the Addition of Essential Nutrients to Foods at Step 4.
     Proposed Draft Revision of the Guidelines on Formulated 
Supplementary Foods for Older Infants and Young Children at Step 4.
     Proposed Draft Amendment of the Standard for Processed 
Cereal-Based

[[Page 63281]]

Foods for Infants and Young Children to Include a New Part B for 
Underweight Children at Step 4.
     Proposal to Review the Codex Standard for Follow-up 
Formula.
    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 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 Barbara Schneeman Ph.D., U.S. 
Delegate for the 33rd Session of the CCNFSDU at the following address: 
[email protected].
    Written comments should state that they relate to activities of the 
33rd Session of the CCNFSDU.

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: October 5, 2011.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2011-26282 Filed 10-11-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P