[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 12 (Friday, January 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3169-3170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00815]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2013-0043]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Spices and Culinary Herbs

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) is sponsoring a public meeting that 
will take place on January 23, 2014. The objective of the public 
meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda 
items and draft United States positions that will be discussed at the 
first session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs 
(CCSCH) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking place in 
Kochi (Cochin), India, February 11-14, 2014. The Acting Under Secretary 
for Food Safety recognizes the importance of providing interested 
parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 1st 
Session of CCSCH and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 23, 2014 
from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at The United States 
Department of Agriculture, Jamie L. Whitten Building, Room 107-A, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250. Documents related to the 
1st session of CCSCH will be accessible via the World Wide Web at the 
following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Mary Frances Lowe, The U.S. Codex Manager to invites U.S. 
interested parties to submit their comments electronically to the 
following email addresses: [email protected] & 
[email protected].

Call In Number

    If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 1st 
session of CCSCH by conference call, please use the call in number and 
participant code listed below:
    Call in Number: 1-888-844-9904.
    Participant Code: 512-6092.
    For Further Information About the 1st Session of CCSCH Contact: 
Kenneth Lowery, International Issues Analyst, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Room 4861, South Building, Washington, DC 
20250; Phone: (202) 690-4042; Fax: (202) 720-3157; Email: 
[email protected].
    For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Kenneth 
Lowery, International Issues Analyst, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Room 4861, South Building, Washington, DC 
20250; Phone: (202) 690-4042, Fax: (202) 720-3157, Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius (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

[[Page 3170]]

health of consumers and ensure that fair practices are used in trade.
    The CCSCH is responsible for elaborating worldwide standards for 
spices and culinary herbs in their dried and dehydrated state in whole 
ground, and cracked or crushed form, consulting as necessary, with 
other international organizations in the standards development process 
to avoid duplication.
    The Committee is hosted by India.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 1st session of CCSCH will 
be discussed during the public meeting:

 Matters Referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and 
other Codex Committees and Task Forces
 Activities of International Organizations relevant to the Work 
of CCSCH
 Work Management modalities of the CCSCH
 Mechanisms for prioritization of the work
 Proposals for New Work (replies to CL 2013/22-SCH)
 Other Business and Future Work

    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 or request copies of these documents (see 
ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the January 23, 2014 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. contacts for the 1st 
session of CCSCH, (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that 
they relate to activities of the 1st session of CCSCH.

Additional Public Notification

    FSIS will announce this notice online through the FSIS Web page 
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register.
    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/wps/portal/fsis/programs-and-services/email-subscription-service. 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

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (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.

    Done at Washington, DC, on January 8, 2014.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2014-00815 Filed 1-16-14; 8:45 am]
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