[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 34 (Thursday, February 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9728-9729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03715]


 ========================================================================
 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 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.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 34 / Thursday, February 20, 2014 / 
Notices  

[[Page 9728]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2013-0050]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Contaminants in Food

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of the 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, are sponsoring a 
public meeting on February 27, 2014. The objective of the public 
meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda 
items and draft U.S. positions that will be discussed at the 8th 
Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) of the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in The Hague, 
The Netherlands, March 31-April 4, 2014. The Under Secretary for Food 
Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties 
the opportunity to obtain background information on the 8th Session of 
the CCCF and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 27, 2014, 
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at The Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA), Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building, Room 1A-003, 
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), 5100 Paint Branch 
Parkway, College Park, MD 20740. Documents related to the 8th Session 
of the CCCF will be accessible via the World Wide Web at http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/. Nega Beru, U.S. 
Delegate to the 8th Session of the CCCF, invites interested U.S. 
parties to submit their comments electronically to the following email 
address [email protected].

REGISTRATION: Attendees may register electronically at the same email 
address provided above by February 24, 2014. The meeting will be held 
in a Federal building; therefore, early registration is encouraged as 
it will expedite entry into the building and its parking area. You 
should also bring photo identification and plan for adequate time to 
pass through security screening systems. If you require parking, please 
include the vehicle make and tag number when you register. Attendees 
that are not able to attend the meeting in person but wish to 
participate may do so by phone.

CALL-IN NUMBER: If you wish to participate in the public meeting for 
the 8th Session of CCCF by conference call, please use the call-in 
number and participant code listed below.
Call-in Number: 1-866-707-4534
Participant Code: 8731753
    Contact for Further Information About the 8th Session of the CCCF 
and the Public Meeting: Henry Kim, Ph.D., Office of Food Safety, CFSAN/
FDA, HFS-317, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740; 
Telephone: (240) 402-2023, Fax: (301) 436-2632, Email: 
mailto:[email protected] or Doreen Chen-Moulec, U.S. Codex Office, 
1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC; Telephone (202) 205 7760, 
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 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 CCCF is responsible for:
    (a) Establishing or endorsing permitted maximum levels, and where 
necessary revising existing guideline levels, for contaminants and 
naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed;
    (b) preparing priority lists of contaminants and naturally 
occurring toxicants for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert 
Committee on Food Additives (JECFA);
    (c) considering and elaborating methods of analysis and sampling 
for the determination of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants 
in food and feed;
    (d) considering and elaborating standards or codes of practice for 
related subjects; and
    (e) considering other matters assigned to it by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission in relation to contaminants and naturally 
occurring toxicants in food and feed.
    The Committee is chaired by The Netherlands.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 8th Session of the CCCF 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred to the CCCF by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission and/or its subsidiary bodies.
     Matters of Interest Arising from FAO and WHO (including 
JECFA).
     Matters of Interest Arising from other International 
Organizations.
     Proposed Draft Revision of the Maximum Levels for Lead in 
Selected Commodities in the General Standard for Contaminants and 
Toxins in Food and Feed.
     Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Arsenic in Rice (Raw 
Rice and Polished Rice).
     Draft Maximum Levels for Deoxynivalenol (DON) in Cereals 
and Cereal-based Products and Associated Sampling Plans.
     Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Acetylated Derivatives 
in Cereals and Cereal-Based Products.
     Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Fumonisins in Maize and 
Maize Products and Associated Sampling Plans.
     Proposed Draft Annex for the Prevention and Reduction of 
Aflatoxins and Ochratoxin A Contamination in Sorghum (Code of Practice 
for the Prevention and Reduction of Mycotoxin Contamination in 
Cereals).
     Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Weed Control to 
Prevent and Reduce Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid Contamination in Food and 
Feed.

[[Page 9729]]

     Editorial Amendments to the General Standard for 
Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed.
     Discussion Paper on the Development of a Code of Practice 
for the Prevention and Reduction of Arsenic Contamination in Rice.
     Discussion Paper on the Possible Revision of the Code of 
Practice for Prevention and Reduction of Mycotoxin Contamination in 
Cereals.
     Discussion Paper on Aflatoxins in Cereals.
     Discussion Paper on the Review of the Guideline Levels for 
Methylmercury in Fish and Predatory Fish.
     Discussion Paper on the Establishment of a Maximum Level 
for Total Aflatoxins in Ready-to-Eat Peanuts and Associated Sampling 
Plan.
     Discussion Paper on Halogenated Solvents.
     Priority List of Contaminants and Naturally Occurring 
Toxicants Proposed for Evaluation by JEFCA.
    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 February 27, 2014 public meeting, draft U.S. positions on 
the agenda items will be described, discussed, and attendees will have 
the opportunity to pose questions and offer comments. Written comments 
may be offered at the meeting or sent to Dr. Henry Kim for the 8th 
Session of the CCCF (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that 
they relate to activities of the 8th Session of the CCCF.

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 February 12, 2014.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2014-03715 Filed 2-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P