[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1887-1889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00433]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2014-0046]


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.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 
and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a 
public meeting on February 23, 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 9th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food 
(CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking place in 
New Delhi, India, March 16-20, 2015. The Deputy Under Secretary for 
Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested 
parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 9th 
Session of the CCCF and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 23, 2015, 
from 1:00-4:00 p.m.

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ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the Harvey W. Wiley 
Federal Building, United States Food and Drug Administration, Center 
for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), 5100 Paint Branch 
Parkway, Room TBA, College Park, MD 20740.
    Documents related to the 9th Session of the CCCF will be accessible 
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Nega Beru, U.S. Delegate to the 9th 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 19, 2015. 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 9th 
Session of CCCF by conference call, please use the call-in number.
    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.
    Further Information About the 9th Session of the CCCF Contact: 
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) 436-2651, email: [email protected].
    For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Henry 
Kim, Ph.D., Office of Food Safety, CFSAN/FDA, HFS-317, 5100 Paint 
Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740, Telephone: (301) 436-2023, Fax: 
(301) 436-2651, 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;
    (e) Considering other matters assigned to it by the 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 9th Session of the CCCF 
will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Matters Referred to the CCCF by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission or its subsidiary bodies
 Proposed draft maximum levels for deoxynivalenol (DON) in raw 
cereal grains (wheat, maize and barley) including sampling plans and in 
flour, meal, semolina and flakes derived from wheat, maize or barley
 Maximum levels for lead in fruit juices and nectars (ready to 
drink), canned fruits, and canned vegetables
 Maximum levels for lead in selected fruits and vegetables
 Proposed draft maximum levels for inorganic arsenic in husked 
rice
 Proposed draft Code of Practice for the Prevention and 
Reduction of Arsenic Contamination in Rice
 Proposed draft revision of the Code of Practice for the 
Prevention and Reduction of Mycotoxin Contamination in Cereals
 Proposed draft maximum level for total aflatoxins in ready-to-
eat peanuts
 Proposed draft maximum levels for cadmium in chocolate and 
Cocoa-derived products
 Proposed draft maximum levels for DON and its acetylated 
derivatives in cereals and cereal based products
 Paper on submission and use of data from GEMS/Food
 Discussion paper on radionuclides
 Discussion paper on approaches for phasing in of lower MLs
 Discussion paper on maximum levels for methylmecury in fish
 Discussion paper on mycotoxin contamination in spices
 Discussion paper on feasibility to develop a Code of Practice 
for mycotoxins in spices
 Priority list of contaminants and naturally occurring 
toxicants proposed for evaluation by JECFA.

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

Public Meeting

    At the February 23, 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 Dr. Henry Kim for the 9th 
Session of the CCCF (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that 
they relate to activities of the 9th Session of the CCCF.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, FSIS will announce this Federal 
Register publication on-line through the FSIS Web page located at: 
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
    FSIS also will make copies of this 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 our constituents and 
stakeholders. The Update is available on the FSIS Web page. Through the 
Web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader, 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/subscribe. Options range from recalls to export 
information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or 
delete

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subscriptions themselves, and have the option to password protect their 
accounts.

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 January 9, 2015.
Paulo Almeida,
Acting, U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2015-00433 Filed 1-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P