[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 12 (Friday, January 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3170-3171]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00819]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2013-0049]


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

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 Agricultural Marketing 
Service (AMS), are sponsoring a public meeting to take place on January 
30, 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 18th Session of the Codex 
Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV) of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, 
from February 24-28, 2014. The Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety 
and AMS recognize the importance of providing interested parties the 
opportunity to obtain background information on the 18th Session of 
CCFFV and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for January 30, 2014, from 1 
p.m. to 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at USDA, Jamie L. Whitten 
Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 107-A, Washington, DC 
20250.
    Documents related to the 18th session of CCFFV will be accessible 
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Dorian Lafond, U.S. Delegate to the 18th session of 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 18th 
session of CCFFV 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 18th Session of CCFFV Contact: 
Dorian Lafond, Agricultural Marketing Service, Fruits and Vegetables 
Division, Stop 0235, Room 2086, South 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, 
South Building, Washington, DC 20250; Telephone: (202) 690-4042, Fax: 
(202) 720-3157, Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

[[Page 3171]]

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 that fair practices are used 
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 that 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 18th session of CCFFV 
will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Matters arising from the Codex Alimentarius Commission 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
 Draft Codex Standard for Golden Passion Fruit (at Step 7)
 Proposed Draft Codex Standard for Durian (at Step 4)
 Proposed Draft Codex Standard for Okra (at Step 4)
 Review of the maturity requirements in the Codex Standard for 
Table Grapes
 Proposal for New Work on a Codex Standard for Ware Potato
 Proposal for New Work on Codex Standards for Fresh Fruits and 
Vegetables
 Review of the Terms of Reference of the Codex Committee on 
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
 Proposed layout for Codex Standards for Fresh Fruits and 
Vegetables

    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by the Codex Secretariat prior to the Committee 
meeting. Members of the public may access or request copies of these 
documents (see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the January 30, 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. Delegate for 
the 18th session of CCFFV, Dorian Lafond (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 18th 
session of CCFFV.

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.

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.

    Done at Washington, DC, on January 8, 2014.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2014-00819 Filed 1-16-14; 8:45 am]
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