[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 170 (Tuesday, September 3, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45944-45945]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-18876]


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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. 84, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 3, 2019 / 
Notices  

[[Page 45944]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. Codex Office


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

AGENCY: U.S. Codex Office, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on 
September 26, 2019. 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 51st Session of 
the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission, in Cleveland, Ohio, November 4-8, 2019. The U.S. Manager 
for Codex Alimentarius and the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign 
Agricultural Affairs recognize the importance of providing interested 
parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 51st 
Session of the CCFH and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for September 26, 2019, from 
1:00-4:00 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place in Meeting Room 107-A of 
the Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250. 
Documents related to the 51st Session of the CCFH will be accessible 
via the internet at the following address: http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/en/.
    Ms. Jenny Scott, U.S. Delegate to the 51st 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 51st Session of the CCFH by conference call, please use the 
call-in-number: 888-844-9904 and participant code 5126092.
    Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting 
by emailing [email protected] by September 23, 2019. Early registration 
is encouraged because 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 the 
security screening systems. Attendees who are not able to attend the 
meeting in person, but who wish to participate, may do so by phone, as 
discussed above.
    For Further Information about the 51st Session of the CCFH, contact 
U.S. Delegate, Ms. Jenny Scott, Senior Advisor, Office of Food Safety, 
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration, 5001 Campus Drive (HFS-300), Room 3B-014, College Park, 
MD 20740, Phone: +1 (240) 402-2166, Fax: +1 (301) 436-2632, 
[email protected].
    For Further Information about the public meeting Contact: U.S. 
Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 4861, South Agriculture 
Building, Washington, DC 20250. Phone (202) 720 7760, 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 Terms of Reference of the Codex Committee on CCFH are:
    (a) Developing basic provisions on food hygiene, applicable to all 
food or to specific food types;
    (b) Considering and amending or endorsing provisions on food 
hygiene contained in Codex commodity standards and codes of practice 
developed by Codex commodity committees;
    (c) Considering specific food hygiene problems assigned to it by 
the Commission;
    (d) Suggesting and prioritizing areas where there is a need for 
microbiological risk assessment at the international level and 
developing questions to be addressed by the risk assessors; and
    (e) Considering microbiological risk management matters in relation 
to food hygiene and in relation to the FAO/WHO risk assessments.
    The CCFH is hosted by the United States. The United States attends 
the CCFH as a member country of Codex.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 51st Session of the CCFH 
will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and/or 
other Codex Subsidiary Bodies to the Committee
 Matters arising from the Work of FAO and WHO
 Information from the World Organisation for Animal Health 
(OIE)
 Proposed draft code of practice on food allergen management 
for food business operators
[cir] Comments in reply to CL 2019/69-FH
 Proposed draft revision of the General Principles of Food 
Hygiene (CXC 1-1969) and its HACCP Annex
[cir] Comments in reply to CL 2019/70-FH
 Proposed draft guidance for the management of biological 
foodborne outbreaks
[cir] Comments in reply to CL 2019/71-FH
 Proposed draft guidelines for the control of Shiga toxin-
producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in beef, unpasteurized milk and 
cheese produced from unpasteurized milk, leafy greens, and sprouts
[cir] Comments in reply to CL 2019/72-FH
 Discussion paper on principles for the safe use of water in 
food processing
 Other Business and Future Work:
[cir] (a) New Work/Forward Workplan (Proposals in reply to CL 2019/50-
FH)

Public Meeting

    At the September 26, 2019, 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 Ms. Jenny Scott, U.S. 
Delegate for the 51st Session of the CCFH (see ADDRESSES).

[[Page 45945]]

Written comments should state that they relate to activities of the 
51st Session of the CCFH.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, the U.S. Codex Office will 
announce this Federal Register publication on-line through the USDA web 
page located at: http://www.usda.gov/codex, a link that also offers an 
email subscription service providing access to information related to 
Codex. Customers can add or delete their subscription 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 https://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 21,2019.
Mary Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2019-18876 Filed 8-30-19; 8:45 am]
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