[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 38 (Friday, February 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9804-9805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-04106]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 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.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 38 / Friday, February 26, 2016 / 
Notices  

[[Page 9804]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2016-0003]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Food Labeling

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA), are sponsoring a public meeting on April 13, 2016. 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 43rd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labeling 
in Foods (CCFL) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking 
place in Ottawa, Canada May 9-13, 2016. The Deputy Under Secretary for 
Food Safety and the FDA recognize the importance of providing 
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on 
the 43rd Session of the CCFL and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 13, 2016, 
from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA), Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building, Center for 
Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, Room 
1A-003, College Park, MD 20740. Documents related to the 43rd Session 
of the CCFL will be accessible via the Internet at http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Felicia Billingslea, U.S. Delegate to the 43rd Session of the CCFL, 
invites U.S. 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 43rd 
Session of the CCFL by conference call. Please use the call-in-number 
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.

Registration

    Attendees may register electronically to attend the public meeting 
by emailing [email protected] by April 11, 2016. The meeting 
will be held in a Federal building. Early registration is encouraged as 
it will expedite entry into the building and parking area. Attendees 
should 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 
not able to attend the meeting in-person, but wish to participate may 
do so by phone.
    For Further Information About the 43rd Session of the CCFL Contact: 
Office of Nutrition, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements, CFSAN/FDA, 5100 
Paint Branch Parkway (HFS-800), College Park, MD 20740, 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, Telephone: (202) 690-4719, 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 CCFL is responsible for:
    (a) Drafting provisions on labeling applicable to all foods;
    (b) Considering, amending if necessary, and endorsing draft 
specific provisions on labeling prepared by the Codex Committee's 
drafting standards, codes of practice, and guidelines;
    (c) Studying specific labeling problems assigned to it by the 
Commission; and
    (d) Studying problems associated with the advertisement of food 
with particular reference to claims and misleading descriptions.
    The Committee is hosted by Canada.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 43rd Session of the CCFL 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters referred to the Committee by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission and by other Codex Subsidiary Bodies;
     Consideration of labelling provisions in draft Codex 
standards;
     Organic aquaculture (Proposed Draft Revision of the 
Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling, and Marketing of 
Organically Produced Foods);
     Date Marking (Proposed Draft Revision of the General 
Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods);
     Labelling of non-retail containers (Discussion paper);
     Issues related to Internet sales of food (Discussion 
Paper);
     Proposal to revise the General Guidelines for the Use of 
the Term ``Halal''; and
     Other Business and Future Work.
    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 April 13, 2016, 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 Felicia Billingslea for the 
43rd Session of the CCFL (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state 
that they relate to activities of the 43rd Session of the CCFL.

[[Page 9805]]

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 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.
    Email: [email protected].
    Fax: (202) 690-7442.
    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 February 22, 2016.
Paulo Almeida,
Acting U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2016-04106 Filed 2-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P