[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 44 (Thursday, March 5, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12887-12888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04483]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. Codex Office


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems

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 March 
25, 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 25th Session of the Codex 
Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification 
Systems (CCFICS) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, in Hobart, 
Tasmania, Australia, April 27-May 1, 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 25th 
Session of the CCFICS and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for March 25, 2020, from 1:00 
p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place in the United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), South Building, Room 104-A, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250. Documents related to the 
25th Session of the CCFICS will be accessible via the internet at the 
following address: http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCFICS&session=25. Mary Stanley, U.S. 
Delegate to the 25th Session of the CCFICS, 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 25th Session of the CCFICS by conference call, please register 
by March 18, 2020 by emailing [email protected].
    Registration: Attendees can register to attend the public meeting 
in person by emailing [email protected] by March 18, 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, as discussed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the 
public meeting please contact Kristen Hendricks, U.S. Codex Office, 
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 4865, South Building, Washington, DC 
20250. Phone: (202) 720-2137, Fax: (202) 720-3157, Email: 
[email protected].
    For specific questions about the 25th session of CCFICS, contact 
Mary Stanley, Senior Advisor, Office of International Coordination, 
Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 3151, South Agriculture Building, 
Washington, DC 20250, Phone: (202) 720-0287, Fax: (202) 690-3856, 
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 CCFICS is responsible for:
    (a) Developing principles and guidelines for food import and export 
inspection and certification systems, with a view to harmonizing 
methods and procedures that protect the health of consumers, ensure 
fair trading practices, and facilitate international trade in 
foodstuffs;
    (b) Developing principles and guidelines for the application of 
measures by the competent authorities of exporting and importing 
countries to provide assurance, where necessary, that foodstuffs comply 
with requirements, especially statutory health requirements;
    (c) Developing guidelines for the utilization, as and when 
appropriate, of quality assurance systems to ensure that foodstuffs 
conform with requirements and to promote the recognition of these 
systems in facilitating trade in food products under bilateral/
multilateral arrangements by countries;
    (d) Developing guidelines and criteria with respect to format, 
declarations and language of such official certificates as countries 
may require with a view towards international harmonization;
    (e) Making recommendations for information exchange in relation to 
food import/export control;
    (f) Consulting as necessary with other international groups working 
on matters related to food inspection and certification systems; and
    (g) Considering other matters assigned to it by the Commission in 
relation to food inspection and certification systems.
    The CCFICS is hosted by Australia, and the meeting is attended by 
the United States as a member country of the Codex Alimentarius.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 25th Session of the 
CCFICS will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Adoption of the Agenda
 Matters arising from the Codex Alimentarius Commission and its 
subsidiary bodies
 Information on activities of FAO and WHO and other 
International Organizations relevant to the work of CCFICS
 Draft Principles and guidelines for the assessment and use of 
voluntary Third Party Assurance (vTPA) programmes
 Proposed draft Guidance on paperless use of electronic 
certificates (revision of the Guidelines for Design, Production, 
Issuance and Use of Generic Official Certificates--CXG 38-2001)
 Proposed draft guidelines on recognition and maintenance of 
equivalence of National Food Control Systems (NFCS)
 Proposed draft consolidated Codex Guidelines related to 
equivalence
 Discussion paper on role of CCFICS with respect to tackling 
food fraud in the context of food safety and fair practices in food 
trade
 Review and update of Appendix A--the list of emerging global 
emerging issues
 Other Business
 Date and Place of Next Session
 Adoption of the Report
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed by the Codex Secretariat before the Committee

[[Page 12888]]

meeting. Members of the public may access or request copies of these 
documents from the U.S. Codex Office or on the internet (see 
ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the March 25, 2020 public meeting, the 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 Mary Stanley. Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 25th 
Session of the CCFICS.

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.
Mary Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2020-04483 Filed 3-4-20; 8:45 am]
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