[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 12 (Thursday, January 19, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6485-6487]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-01108]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2016-0049]


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

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services are sponsoring a public meeting on February 
21, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The objective of the public 
meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda 
items and draft United States (U.S.) positions discussed at the 49th 
Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking place in Macao SAR, China March 
20-24, 2017. The USDA Office of Food Safety and FDA recognize the 
importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain 
background information on the 49th Session of the CCFA and to address 
items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 21, 2017, 
from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place in Rooms 1A-001 and 1A-
002, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Harvey Wiley Federal 
Building, 5001 Campus Drive, College Park, MD 20740.
    Documents related to the 49th Session of the CCFA will be 
accessible via the Internet at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    The U.S. Delegate to the 49th Session of the CCFA, Paul 
Honigfort,invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments 
electronically to the following email address: [email protected].
    Registration: Attendees may register by emailing [email protected] 
by February 14, 2017. Early registration is encouraged because it will 
expedite entry into the building and its parking area. If you require 
parking, please include the vehicle make and tag number when you 
register. Because the meeting will be held in a Federal building, you 
should also 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. Those wishing to participate by phone should request the call-in 
number and conference code when they register for the meeting.
    For further information about the 49th Session of the CCFA contact: 
Paul Honigfort, Ph.D., Consumer Safety Officer, Division of Food 
Contact Notifications, Office of Food Additive Safety, U.S. Food and 
Drug Administration 5001 Campus Drive, College Park, MD 20740, 
Telephone: (240) 402-1206, Fax: (301) 436-2965, email: 
[email protected].

[[Page 6486]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLIC MEETING CONTACT:  Daniel E. 
Folmer, Ph.D., Review Chemist, Division of Petition Review, Office of 
Food Additive Safety, CFSAN/FDA HFS-265, 5001 Campus Drive, College 
Park, MD 20740, Telephone: (240) 402-1269, Fax: (301) 436-2972, 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, Codex seeks to protect the health of 
consumers and ensure that fair practices are used in trade.
    The CCFA establishes or endorses permitted maximum levels for 
individual food additives; prepares priority lists of food additives 
for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food 
Additives (JECFA); assigns functional classes and International 
Numbering System (INS) numbers to individual food additives; recommends 
specifications of identity and purity for food additives for adoption 
by Codex; considers methods of analysis for the determination of 
additives in food; and considers and elaborates standards or codes for 
related subjects such as labeling of food additives when sold as such. 
The CCFA is hosted by China.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 49th Session of the CCFA 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
 Matters Referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and 
other subsidiary bodies
 Matters of Interest arising from FAO/WHO and from the 82nd 
Meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
 Proposed draft Specifications for Identity and Purity of Food 
Additives arising from the 82nd JECFA Meeting
 Endorsement and/or Revision of Maximum Levels for Food 
Additives and Processing Aids in Codex Standards
 Alignment of the food additive provisions of commodity 
standards: Report of the EWG on Alignment
 General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA): Outstanding 
provisions from the 48th session of CCFA; provisions for benzoates in 
FC 14.1.4; provisions in FC 5.0 and 5.1; provisions associated with 
Note 22; provisions in FC 01.1, 01.1.1, 01.1.3 and 01.1.4 (Report of 
the EWG on the GSFA)
 General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA): Use levels for 
adipic acid (INS 355) in various food categories (replies to CL 2016/9-
FA)
 General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA): Proposals for new 
and/or revision of food additive provisions (replies to CL 2016/8-FA, 
point 4 (a), 4(b) & 4 (c))
 Discussion paper on the use of food additives in the 
production of wine
 Proposed draft revision to the International Numbering System 
(INS) for Food Additives (CAC/GL 36-1989)
 Proposals for additions and changes to the Priority List of 
Substances proposed for evaluation by JECFA (replies to CL 2016/13-FA)
 Discussion paper on the management of CCFA work
 Other Business and Future Work

    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by the Codex Secretariat prior to the meeting. 
Members of the public may access these documents at http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings-reports/detail/en/?meeting=CCFA&session=49.

Public Meeting

    At the February 21, 2017 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 49th Session of the CCFA, Paul Honigfort, Ph.D. at the following 
address: [email protected]. Written comments should state that they 
relate to activities of the 49th Session of the CCFA.

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 online through the FSIS Web page located 
at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register/federal-register-notices.
    FSIS will also 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, 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 email 
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. 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 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).


[[Page 6487]]


    Dated: January 12, 2016.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2017-01108 Filed 1-18-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P