[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 11, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13610-13611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05220]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2014-0004]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
General Principles

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 on 
March 27, 2014. The objective of the public meeting is to provide 
information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft 
United States positions to be discussed at the Twenty-eighth session of 
the Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP) of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission (Codex), that will take place in Paris, France, 
April 7-11, 2014. The Under Secretary for Food Safety recognizes the 
importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain 
background information on the 28th session of CCGP and to address items 
on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 27, 2014 
from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the Jamie L. Whitten 
Building, United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence 
Avenue SW., Room 107-A, Washington, DC 20250.
    Documents related to the 28th session of CCGP will be accessible 
via the Internet at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Mary Frances Lowe, U.S. Delegate to the 28th session of CCGP, 
invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments electronically 
to the following email address: [email protected].

[[Page 13611]]

    Call In Number: If you wish to participate in the public meeting 
for the 28th session of CCGP by conference call, Please use the call in 
number and participant code listed below:

Call in Number: 1 (888) 844-9904.
Participant Code: 5126092.
    For Further Information About the 28th Session of CCGP Contact: 
Mary Frances Lowe, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., 
Room 4861, Washington, DC 20250; Phone: (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 720-
3157, Email: [email protected].
    For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Barbara 
McNiff, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 4861, 
Washington, DC 20250; Phone: (202) 205-7760, 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 health of consumers and ensure fair 
practices in the food trade.
    The CCGP is responsible for dealing with procedural and general 
matters referred to it by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, for 
proposing amendments to the Codex Procedural Manual, and for reviewing 
and endorsing procedural provisions and texts forwarded by Codex 
Committees for inclusion in the Procedural Manual.
    The Committee is hosted by France.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 28th session of CCGP will 
be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred to the Committee.
     Review of Risk Analysis texts of different committees--
CCRVDF.
     Standards held at Step 8.
     Issues related to economic impact statements.
     Proposed amendment to the terms of reference of the 
Committee.
     Codex/OIE Cooperation.
     Representation of Officers of the CAC in Codex sessions 
other than sessions of the CCEXEC and CAC.
     Reference to information documents.
     Cooperation between General Subject Committees and 
Commodity Committees.
     Codex work management: Committees and critical review.
     Role of the Chair and Vice-chairs of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for the purpose of Rule V.1 of the Rules of 
Procedure.
     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 March 27, 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 28th 
session of CCGP, Mary Frances Lowe (see ADDRESSES). Written comments 
should state that they relate to activities of the 28th session of 
CCGP.

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: March 6, 2014.
Paulo Almeida,
Associate U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2014-05220 Filed 3-7-14; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P