[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11047-11048]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03823]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. Codex Office


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Contaminants in Foods

AGENCY: U.S. Codex Office, Department of Agriculture.

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 March 
23, 2020. 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 14th Session of the Codex 
Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission, in Utrecht, the Netherlands, April 20-24, 2020. The U.S. 
Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Under Secretary, Office of Trade 
and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, recognize the importance of providing 
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on 
the 14th Session of the CCCF and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for March 23, 2020, from 1:00 
p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place in Meeting Room 1A-001 at 
the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration, 5001 Campus Drive, HFS-009, College Park, MD 20740-
3835. Documents related to the 14th Session of the CCCF will be 
accessible via the internet at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en. Dr. Lauren Posnick 
Robin, U.S. Delegate to the 14th Session of the CCCF, 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 14th Session of the CCCF by conference call, please register in 
advance by emailing [email protected]. To call in, you may use the 
call-in-number: 1-877-465-7975 and participant code 909 104 288. You 
may also join by Webex, using the link: Join Webex meeting; meeting 
number/access code: 909 104 288; and meeting password: mFuGm4Uv.
    Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting 
by emailing [email protected] by March 16, 2020. 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 or 
Web, as discussed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Henry Kim, Ph.D., FDA, at 
[email protected], or the U.S. Codex office at [email protected], 
(202) 205-7760.

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 CCCF is responsible for
    (a) Establishing or endorsing permitted maximum levels and where 
necessary, revising existing guideline levels, for contaminants and 
naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed;
    (b) Preparing priority lists of contaminants and naturally 
occurring toxicants for risk assessment by the joint FAO/WHO Expert 
Committee on Food Additives (JEFCA).
    (c) Considering and elaborating methods of analysis and sampling 
for the determination of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants 
in food and feed;
    (d) Considering and elaborating standards or codes of practice for 
related subjects; and
    (e) Considering other matters assigned to it by the Commission in 
relation to contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and 
feed.
    The Committee is chaired by the Netherlands.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 14th Session of the CCCF 
will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Matters referred to CCCF by the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
and/or its subsidiary bodies
 Matters of interest arising from FAO and WHO (including JECFA)
 Matters of interest arising from other international 
organizations
 Draft maximum levels (MLs) for cadmium for chocolates 
containing or declaring <30% total cocoa solids on a dry matter basis
 Proposed draft MLs for cadmium in chocolate and chocolate 
products containing or declaring >=30% to <50% total cocoa solids on a 
dry matter basis; and cocoa powder (100% total cocoa solids on a dry 
matter basis)
 Proposed draft Code of Practice (COP) for the prevention and 
reduction of cadmium contamination in cocoa beans
 Proposed draft MLs for lead in selected commodities for 
inclusion in the GSCTFF (CXC 193-1995)
 Proposed draft revision of the Code of Practice for the 
prevention and reduction of lead contamination in foods (CXC 56-2004)
 Proposed draft MLs for total aflatoxins in certain cereals and 
cereal-based products including foods for infants and young children
 MLs for methylmercury in additional fish species
 MLs for HCN in cassava and cassava-based products and COP for 
the prevention and reduction of mycotoxin contamination in cassava and 
cassava-based products
 MLs for cadmium and lead in quinoa

[[Page 11048]]

 Radioactivity in feed and food (including drinking water) in 
normal circumstances
 General guidance on data analysis for ML development and for 
improved data collection
 Approach to identify the need for revision of standards and 
related text developed by CCCF
 Forward work-plan for CCCF
[cir] Review of staple food-contaminant combinations for future work of 
CCCF
[cir] Project plan for the evaluation of implementation of COPs of CCCF
 Priority list of contaminants and naturally occurring 
toxicants proposed for evaluation by JECFA
 Other business and future work

Public Meeting

    At the 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 Henry Kim at 
[email protected].

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 
Codex 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 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 February 20, 2020.
Mary Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2020-03823 Filed 2-25-20; 8:45 am]
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