[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 142 (Tuesday, July 24, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43234-43236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17958]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2012-0033]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.

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ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, Unites 
States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Agricultural Marketing 
Service (AMS), are sponsoring a public meeting on August 30, 2012. 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 17th Session of the Codex 
Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV) of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Mexico City, 
Mexico on September 3-7, 2012. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and 
AMS recognize the importance of providing interested parties the 
opportunity to obtain background information on the 17th Session of the 
CCFFV and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for August 30, 2012, from 10 
a.m.-12:00 noon.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at USDA, South Agriculture 
Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 2068, Washington, DC 
20250.
    Documents related to the 17th session of the CCFFV will be 
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/.
    Dorian Lafond, U.S. Delegate to the 17th session of the CCFFV, 
invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments electronically 
to the following email address: [email protected].
    Call-In Number: If you wish to participate in the public meeting 
for the 17th session of the CCFFV by conference call, please use the 
call-in number and participant code listed below:
    Call-in Number: 1-888-858-2144.
    Participant code: 6208658.
    For Further Information About the 17th Session of the CCFFV 
Contact: Dorian Lafond, Agricultural Marketing Service, Fruits and 
Vegetables Division, Stop 0235, Room 2086, South Agriculture Building, 
1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-0235, Telephone: 
(202) 690-4944, Fax:(202) 720-0016, Email: [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: +1 (202) 690-4042, Fax: +1 (202) 720-3157, 
Email: [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 fair practices in the food 
trade.
    The CCFFV is responsible for: Elaborating worldwide standards and 
codes of practice as may be appropriate for fresh fruits and 
vegetables; consulting with the United Nations Economic Commission for 
Europe (UNECE) Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards in the 
elaboration of worldwide standards and codes of practice with 
particular regard to ensuring that there is no duplication of standards 
or codes of practice and that they follow the same broad format; 
consulting, as necessary with other international organizations which 
are active in the area of standardization of fresh fruits and 
vegetables.
    The Committee is hosted by Mexico.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 17th session of the CCFFV 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters arising from Codex and other Codex committees.
     Matters arising from other international organizations on 
the standardization of fresh fruits and vegetables.
     UNECE standards for fresh fruits and vegetables.
     UNECE standard for avocado.
     UNECE layout for standards on fresh fruits and vegetables.
     Draft standard for avocado (revision of Codex standard 
197-1995) at step 7.
     Maturity requirements: Methods of analysis for the 
determination of dry matter content (section 9) (draft standard for 
avocado).
     Provisions concerning quality tolerances--allowances of 
tolerances for decay and/or internal breakdown (section 4.1) (draft 
standard for avocado).
     Draft provisions for uniformity rules and other size 
related provisions at step 7 (sections 5.1 and 6.2.4) (draft standard 
for avocado).
     Draft standard for pomegranate at step 7.
     Proposed draft provisions for sizing and uniformity rules 
at step 4 (sections 3 and 5.1)(draft standard for pomegranate).
     Proposed draft standard for golden passion fruit at step 
4.
     Proposed draft standard for durian at step 4.
     Proposals for new work on Codex standards for fresh fruits 
and vegetables.
     Proposed layout for Codex standards for fresh fruits and 
vegetables.
     Revision of the terms of reference of the committee on 
fresh fruits and vegetables.
    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 August 30, 2012, 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 17th 
session of the CCFFV, Dorian Lafond (see ADDRESSES). Written comments 
should state that they relate to activities of the 17th session of the 
CCFFV.

Additional Public Notification

    FSIS will announce this notice online through the FSIS Web page 
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Federal_Register_Notices/index.asp.
    FSIS will also 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 constituents and 
stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free 
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups, 
consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals 
who have asked to be included. The Update is also available on the FSIS 
Web page. In addition, FSIS offers an electronic 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 to export information to regulations, directives, and 
notices. Customers can add or

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delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to password 
protect their accounts.

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, or 
audiotape.) 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.

    Done at Washington, DC on: July 18, 2012.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2012-17958 Filed 7-23-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P