[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 17, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14571-14572]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05439]


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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 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 50 / Wednesday, March 17, 2021 / 
Notices  

[[Page 14571]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. Codex Office


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

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 May 
11, 2021. 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 52nd Session of the Codex 
Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission. The U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Acting 
Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs recognize 
the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to 
obtain background information on the 52nd Session of the CCFA and to 
address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for May 11, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. 
to 12:00 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place virtually. Documents 
related to the 52nd Session of the CCFA will be accessible via the 
internet at the following address: http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/en/. Dr. Paul Honigfort, U.S. Delegate to 
the 52nd Session of the CCFA, 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 52nd Session of the CCFA by conference call, please join the 
Zoomgov Meeting at https://fda.zoomgov.com/j/1617528805; or Dial-in US 
Toll-free at (833)568-8864; Meeting ID: 161 752 8805.
    Registration: Attendees may register to attend the meeting by 
emailing Dr. LaShonda Cureton at [email protected] by May 10, 2021. 
Early registration is encouraged.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    For Further Information about the 52nd Session of the CCFA and the 
Public Meeting, contact U.S. Delegate, Dr. Paul Honigfort by phone at: 
+1 (240) 402-1206 or by email at [email protected], or 
Alternate U.S. Delegate, Dr. Daniel Folmer by phone +1 (240) 402-1274 
or email [email protected].
    For Further Information about the public meeting Contact: Dr. 
LaShonda Cureton by phone at +1 (240)402-1351 or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Codex was established in 1963 by two United Nations organizations, 
the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health 
Organization. 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 Food Additives 
are:
    (a) To establish or endorse permitted maximum levels for individual 
food additives;
    (b) to prepare priority lists of food additives for risk assessment 
by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives;
    (c) to assign functional classes to individual food additives;
    (d) to recommend specifications of identity and purity for food 
additives for adoption by the Commission;
    (e) to consider methods of analysis for the determination of 
additives in food; and
    (f) to consider and elaborate standards or codes for related 
subjects such as the labelling of food additives when sold as such.
    The CCFA is hosted by China. The United States attends the CCFA as 
a member country of Codex.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 52nd 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 87th 
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 87th JECFA meeting
[cir] Comments at Step 3
 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:
[cir] Report of the Electronic Working Group (EWG) on Alignment
 General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA): Report of the EWG 
on the GSFA
 General Standard for Food Additives: Proposals for new and/or 
revision of food additive provisions (replies to Circular Letter (CL) 
2019/40-FA)
 Continuation of the discussion on the relevant provisions for 
sweeteners associated with Note 161
 General information on the availability of data related to 
nitrates and nitrites (replies to CL 2019/49-FA)
 Proposed draft revision to the International Numbering System 
(INS) for Food Additives (CAC/GL 36-1989)
[cir] Comments at Step 3
 Proposals for additions and changes to the Priority List of 
Substances proposed for evaluation by JECFA (replies to CL 2019/41-FA)
 Status and analysis of the GSFA online system in relation to 
the approach of not listing relevant commodity standards
 Other Business and Future Work

Public Meeting

    At the May 11, 2021, 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 Dr. Paul Honigfort, U.S. 
Delegate for the 52nd Session of the

[[Page 14572]]

CCFA (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they relate to 
activities of the 52nd Session of the CCFA.

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 March 10, 2021.
Mary Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2021-05439 Filed 3-16-21; 8:45 am]
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