[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 244 (Friday, December 19, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75784-75785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29677]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2014-0043]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Methods of Analysis and Sampling

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 Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) are 
sponsoring a public meeting on February 5, 2015. The objective of the 
public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on 
agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions that will be 
discussed at the 36th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of 
Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
(Codex), taking place in Budapest, Hungary, February 23-27, 2015. The 
Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety and the Food and Drug 
Administration recognize the importance of providing interested parties 
the opportunity to obtain background information on the 36th Session of 
CCMAS and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 5, 2015 
from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 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 36th Session of CCMAS will be accessible via the World 
Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Dr. Gregory O. Noonan, U.S. Delegate to the 36th Session of CCMAS, 
and the FDA, 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 36th 
Session of CCMAS by conference call, please use the call-in number 
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 36th Session of CCMAS Contact: 
Gregory O. Noonan, Ph.D., Research Chemist, Center for Food Safety and 
Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Food and Drug Administration, Harvey W. 
Wiley Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 
20740, Phone: (240) 402-2250, Fax: (301) 436-2634, Email: 
[email protected]
    For Further Information about the Public Meeting Contact: Marie 
Maratos, 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: 

[[Page 75785]]

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 trade.
    The CCMAS is responsible for defining the criteria appropriate to 
Codex Methods of Analysis and Sampling; serving as a coordinating body 
for Codex with other international groups working in methods of 
analysis and sampling and quality assurance systems for laboratories; 
specifying the basis of final recommendations submitted to it by other 
bodies; considering, amending, and endorsing, methods of analysis and 
sampling proposed by Codex (Commodity) Committees, except that methods 
of analysis and sampling for residues of pesticides or veterinary drugs 
in food, the assessment of microbiological quality and safety in food, 
and the assessment of specifications for food additives do not fall 
within the terms of reference of this Committee. The Committee is 
charged with elaborating sampling plans and procedures; considering 
specific sampling and analysis problems submitted to it by the 
Commission or any of its Committees; defining procedures, protocols, 
guidelines, or related texts for the assessment of food laboratory 
proficiency; and developing quality assurance systems for laboratories.
    The Committee is hosted by Hungary.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 36th Session of CCMAS 
will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Methods of Analysis and Sampling in Codex Standards at 
different steps
 Proposed Draft Principles for the Use of Sampling and Testing 
in International Food Trade-Explanatory notes and practical examples
 Discussion paper on development of procedures/guidelines for 
determining equivalency to type I methods
 Discussion paper on criteria approach for methods which use a 
sum of components
 Review and update of methods in Codex Stan 234-1999 
(Recommended Methods of Analysis and Sampling)
 Follow-up methods of analysis and sampling plans
 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 Committee 
meeting. Members of the public may access or request copies of these 
documents (see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the February 5, 2015 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 the U.S. Delegate for the 36th 
Session of CCMAS, Gregory Noonan (see ADDRESSES). Written comments 
should state that they relate to activities of the 36th Session of 
CCMAS.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that 
minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this 
notice, FSIS will announce it on-line through the FSIS Web page located 
at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register/federal-register-notices.
    FSIS also will 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, recalls, 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 and farm 
groups, consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, and 
other individuals who have asked to be included. The update is 
available on the FSIS Web page. Through the Listserv and Web page, FSIS 
is able to provide information to a much broader and more diverse 
audience. 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/topics/international-affairs/us-codex-alimentarius/committees-and-task-forces/mailing-list/CT_Index.
    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 account.

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

    No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds 
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual 
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, 
income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs, 
exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to 
discrimination any person in the United States under any program or 
activity conducted by the USDA.

How To File a Complaint of Discrimination

    To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program 
Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you or your 
authorized representative. Send your completed complaint form or letter 
to USDA by mail, fax, or email:

Mail

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410.

Fax

(202) 690-7442

Email

[email protected]

    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should contact 
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

    Done at Washington, DC, on December 15, 2014.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2014-29677 Filed 12-18-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P