[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 5, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8101-8102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02470]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
 appearing in this section.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 24 / Tuesday, February 5, 2013 / 
Notices  

[[Page 8101]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2013-0006]


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

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 Acting 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, is sponsoring a 
public meeting on February 11, 2013, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 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 45th Session of the Codex 
Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
(Codex), which will be held in Beijing, China March 18-22, 2013. USDA 
and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the 
opportunity to obtain background information on the 45th Session of the 
CCFA and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 11, 2013, 
from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Rooms 1A-001 and 1A-002, 
US FDA, Harvey Wiley Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, 
College Park, MD 20740.
    Documents related to the 45th Session of the CCFA will be 
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
    The U.S. Delegate to the 45th Session of the CCFA, Susan Carberry, 
USDA and FDA, invite interested U.S. parties to submit their comments 
electronically to the following email address: [email protected].
    REGISTRATION: Attendees may register by emailing [email protected] 
by February 6, 2013. Early registration is encouraged because it will 
expedite entry into the building and its parking area. If you require 
parking, please include the vehicle make and tag number when you 
register. Because the meeting will be held in a Federal building, you 
should also bring photo identification and plan for adequate time to 
pass through security screening systems. Attendees who are not able to 
attend the meeting in-person but wish to participate may do so by 
phone. Those wishing to participate by phone should request the call-in 
number and conference code when they register for the meeting.
    For further information about the 45th Session of the CCFA contact: 
Susan Carberry, Ph.D., Supervisory Chemist, Division of Petition 
Review, Office of Food Additive Safety, Center for Food Safety and 
Applied Nutrition CFSAN/FDA, HFS-205, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, 
College Park, MD 20740, Telephone: (240) 402-1269, Fax: (301) 436-2972, 
email: [email protected].

For Further Information about the Public Meeting Contact: Daniel E. 
Folmer, Ph.D., Review Chemist, Division of Petition Review, Office of 
Food Additive Safety, CFSAN/FDA HFS-265, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, 
College Park, MD 20740, Telephone: (240) 402-1269, Fax: (301) 436-2972, 
email: [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 CCFA establishes or endorses acceptable maximum levels for 
individual food additives; prepares priority lists of food additives 
for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food 
Additives (JECFA); assigns functional classes and International 
Numbering System (INS) numbers to individual food additives; recommends 
specifications of identity and purity for food additives for adoption 
by Codex; considers methods of analysis for the determination of 
additives in food; and considers and elaborates standards or codes for 
related subjects such as labeling of food additives when sold as such. 
The CCFA is hosted by China.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 45th Session of the CCFA 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters referred by Codex and other Codex Committees and 
Task Forces. (CX/FA 13/45/2).
     Matters of interest arising from FAO/WHO and from the 76th 
Meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives 
(JECFA). (CX/FA 13/45/3).
     Endorsement and/or revision of maximum levels for food 
additives and processing aids in Codex standards. (CX/FA 13/45/4).
     Application of the decision-tree on the alignment of the 
food additive provisions of commodity standards and relevant provisions 
of the GSFA. (CX/FA 13/45/5)
     Discussion paper on the revision of the Guidelines for the 
Evaluation of Food Additive Intakes (CAC/GL 3-1989). (CX/FA 13/45/6).
     Provisions in Tables 1 and 2 for food additives listed in 
Table 3 with ``acidity regulator'' function and horizontal approach for 
provisions in Tables 1 and 2 for food additives listed in Table 3 with 
``emulsifier, stabilizer and thickener'' function. (CX/FA 13/45/7).
     Provisions for aluminum containing food additives of the 
GSFA. (CX/FA 13/45/8).
     Proposed draft food additive provisions for aspartame-
acesulfame salt (INS 962) (replies to CL 2012/5-FA Part B, point 7). 
(CX/FA 13/45/9).
     New proposals for the use of nisin (INS 234) in food 
category 08.0 ``Meat and meat products, including poultry and game'' 
(replies to CL 2012/5-FA Part B, point 8). (CX/FA 13/45/10).
     Proposals for new additive provisions in food category 
16.0

[[Page 8102]]

``Prepared foods'' (replies to CL 2012/5-FA Part B, point 9). (CX/FA 
13/45/11).
     Proposals for new additive provisions and/or revision of 
food additive provisions of the GSFA (replies to CL 2012/5-FA Part B, 
point 10). (CX/FA 13/45/12).
     Proposals for application of Note 188 to provisions for 
acesulfame potassium (INS 950) and Note 191 to provisions for aspartame 
(INS 951). (CX/FA 13/45/13).
     Proposals for Changes and/or Addition to the International 
Numbering System for Food Additives. (CX/FA 13/45/14).
     Specifications for the Identity and Purity of food 
additives arising from the 76th JECFA Meeting. (CX/FA 13/45/15).
     Proposals for additions and changes to the Priority List 
of Food Additives proposed for evaluation by JECFA (replies to CL 2012/
8-FA) (CX/FA 13/45/16).
     Proposed prioritized list of colors for re-evaluation by 
JECFA. (CX/FA 13/45/17).
     Database on processing aids--criteria for entry of 
substances in the database (CX/FA 13/45/18).
     Discussion paper on recommendations for Note 161 of the 
GSFA (CX/FA 13/45/19).
    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 at ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/meetings/CCFA/CCFA45.

Public Meeting

    At the February 11, 2013, 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 45th Session of the CCFA, Dr. Susan Carberry at the following 
address: [email protected]. Written comments should state that they 
relate to activities of the 45th Session of the CCFA.

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 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: January 30, 2013.
MaryFrances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2013-02470 Filed 1-31-13; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P