[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 176 (Monday, September 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62702-62704]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21890]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2016-0029]


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

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), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are 
sponsoring a public meeting on October 11, 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 48th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) of 
the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking place in Los Angeles, 
CA, November 7-11, 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 48th Session of the 
CCFH and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 11, 2016, 
from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the USDA, Jamie L.

[[Page 62703]]

Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 107-A, Washington, 
DC 20250.
    Documents related to the 48th Session of the CCFH will be 
accessible via the Internet at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Jenny Scott, U.S. Delegate to the 48th Session of the CCFH, 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 48th Session of the CCFH by conference call, please use the 
call-in-number listed.

Call-in-Number: 1-888-844-9904

    The participant code will be posted on the following Web page: 
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/international-affairs/us-codex-alimentarius/public-meetings.
    Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting 
by emailing [email protected] by October 5, 2016. Early 
registration is encouraged as it will expedite entry into the building. 
The meeting will take place in a Federal building. Attendees should 
bring photo identification and plan for adequate time to pass through 
security screening systems. Attendees that are not able to attend the 
meeting in person, but wish to participate may do so by phone.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 48th SESSION OF THE CCFH CONTACT: 
Jenny Scott, Senior Advisor, Office of Food Safety, Center for Food 
Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 5100 
Paint Branch Parkway, HFS-300, Room 3B-014, College Park, MD 20740-
3835, Telephone: (240) 402-2166, Fax: (202) 436-2632, 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 (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 their adoption and implementation by governments, the Codex 
seeks to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices are 
used in the food trade.
    The CCFH is responsible for:
    (a) Drafting basic provisions on food hygiene applicable to all 
food;
    (b) Considering, amending if necessary, and endorsing provisions on 
hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and contained in Codex 
commodity standards;
    (c) Considering, amending if necessary, and endorsing provisions on 
hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and contained in Codex 
codes of practice unless, in specific cases, the Commission has decided 
otherwise;
    (d) Drafting provisions on hygiene applicable to specific food 
items or food groups, whether coming within the terms of reference of a 
Codex commodity committee or not;
    (e) Considering specific hygiene problems assigned to it by the 
Commission;
    (f) Suggesting and prioritizing topics on which there is a need for 
microbiological risk assessment at the international level and 
developing questions to be addressed by the risk assessors; and
    (g) Considering microbiological risk management matters in relation 
to food hygiene, including food irradiation, and in relation to the 
risk assessment of FAO and WHO.
    The CCFH is hosted by the United States.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 48th Session of the CCFH 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters referred by Codex or other Codex Subsidiary Bodies 
to the Food Hygiene Committee.
     Matters arising from the work of the FAO, WHO, and Other 
International Intergovernmental Organizations:
    (a) Progress report on the Joint FAO/WHO expert meeting on 
Microbiological Risk Assessment and Related Matters.
    (b) Information from the World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE).
     Proposed draft revision of the General Principles of Food 
Hygiene and its HACCP Annex at Step 4.
     Proposed draft revision of the Code of Hygienic Practice 
for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables at Step 4.
     Proposed draft Guidance on the Histamine control and 
sampling plans for histamine at Step 4.
     Proposal to merge all guidance for control of foodborne 
parasites: Guideline on the Application of General Principles of Food 
Hygiene to the Control of Food Parasites.
     Other business and future.
    (a) New Work/Forward Work Plan.
    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 October 11, 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 the U.S. Delegate for 
the 48th Session of the CCFH, Jenny Scott (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to the activities of the 48th 
Session of the CCFH.

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

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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 September 7, 2016.
Paulo Ameida,
Acting U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2016-21890 Filed 9-9-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P