[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 164 (Friday, August 25, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40541-40542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-18083]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2017-0036]


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 September 13, 2017. 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 44th Session of the Codex Committee on 
Food Labeling (CCFL) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), 
which will take place in Asuncion, Paraguay, October 16-20, 2017. 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 44th Session of the CCFL and to address 
items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 13, 
2017, from 12:00 noon-4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the 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 44th Session of the CCFL will be 
accessible via the Internet at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Felicia Billingslea, U.S. Delegate to the 44th Session of the CCFL, 
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 44th 
Session of the CCFL by conference call, please use the call-in-number 
listed:
    Call-in-Number: 1-855-828-1770.
    Meeting ID: 741955932.
    Meeting Password: 01134.

Registration

    Attendees may register to attend the public meeting by emailing 
[email protected] by September 7, 2017. The meeting will 
take place 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. Persons who 
are not able to attend the meeting in person, but wish to participate 
may do so by phone.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 44TH 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 (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 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 other Codex Committees that 
draft 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.

[[Page 40542]]

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 44th Session of the CCFL 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters referred to the Committee by Codex and other Codex 
Subsidiary Bodies;
     Matters outstanding from CCFL43: use of terms flavour and 
flavourings in labelling;
     Matters of interest from FAO and WHO;
     Consideration of labelling provisions in draft Codex 
standards;
     Date marking (Draft Revision of the General Standard for 
the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods);
     Proposed draft Guidance for the Labelling of non-retail 
containers;
     Front of pack labeling (discussion paper); Consumer 
preference claims (discussion paper)
     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 September 13, 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 Felicia Billingslea 
for the 44th Session of the CCFL (see ADDRESSES). Written comments 
should state that they relate to the activities of the 44th Session of 
the CCFL.

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, 
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 August 22, 2017.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2017-18083 Filed 8-24-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P