[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 158 (Friday, August 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48114-48115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19410]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2014-0008]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS)

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), Food Safety and Inspection Service 
(FSIS) is sponsoring a public meeting on September 25, 2014. The 
objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive 
public comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) 
positions to be discussed at the 21st Session of the Codex Committee on 
Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) of 
the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking place in Australia, 
October 13-17, 2014. The Under Secretary for Food Safety recognizes the 
importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain 
background information on the 21st Session of the CCFICS and to address 
items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 25, 2014 
from 1:00-4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the Jamie L. Whitten 
Building, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Room 107-A, Washington, DC 20250. Documents 
related to the 21st Session of the CCFICS will be accessible via the 
World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en.
    Mary Stanley, U.S. Delegate to the 21st Session of the CCFICS 
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 21st Session of CCFICS by conference call, please use the call-
in number and participant code listed below.
    Call-in Number: 1-888-844-9904.
    The participant code will be posted on the Web page below: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/international-affairs/us-codex-alimentarius/public-meetings.
    For Further Information About the 21st Session of the CCFICS 
Contact: Mary Stanley, Director, International Relations and Strategic 
Planning Staff, Office of Policy and Program Development, Food Safety 
and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 2925, 
South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250; 
Phone: (202) 720-0287, Fax: (202) 720-4929, Email: 
[email protected].
    For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Kenneth 
Lowery, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 4861, 
Washington, DC 20250; Phone: (202) 690-4042, Fax: (202) 720-3157, 
Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

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 fair practices in the food 
trade.
    The CCFICS Committee is responsible for:
    (a) Developing principles and guidelines for food import and export 
inspection and certification systems with a view to harmonizing methods 
and procedures which protect the health of consumers, ensure fair 
trading practices, and facilitate international trade in foodstuffs;
    (b) Developing principles and guidelines for the application of 
measures by the competent authorities of exporting and importing 
countries to provide assurance where necessary that

[[Page 48115]]

foodstuffs comply with requirements, especially statutory health 
requirements;
    (c) Developing guidelines for the utilization, as and when 
appropriate, of quality assurance systems to ensure that foodstuffs 
conform with requirements and to promote the recognition of these 
systems in facilitating trade in food products under bilateral/
multilateral arrangements by countries;
    (d) Developing guidelines and criteria with respect to format, 
declarations, and language of such official certificates as countries 
may require with a view towards international harmonization;
    (e) Making recommendations for information exchange in relation to 
food import/export control;
    (f) Consulting as necessary with other international groups working 
on matters related to food inspection and certification systems; and
    (g) Considering other matters assigned to it by Codex in relation 
to food inspection and certification systems.
    The Committee is hosted by Australia.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 21st Session of CCFICS 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Discussion paper on Principles and Guidelines for the 
Elaboration and Management of Questionnaires Directed at Exporting 
Countries.
     Discussion paper on Principles and Guidelines for 
Monitoring Regulatory Performance of National Food Control Systems.
     Discussion paper on the revision of the Principles and 
Guidelines for the Exchange of Information in Food Safety Emergency 
Situations.
     Draft amendments to Guidelines for the Exchange of 
Information between Countries on Rejections of Imported Food.
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the Committee 
meeting. Members of the public may access or request copies of these 
documents (see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the September 25, 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 Mary Stanley, U.S. 
Delegate for the 21st Session of CCFICS (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 21st 
Session of the CCFICS.

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 provides 
information on FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal Register 
notices, FSIS public meetings, and other matters 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 email 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, onAugust 12, 2014.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2014-19410 Filed 8-14-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P