[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 51 (Thursday, March 18, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14720-14721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05640]


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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. 51 / Thursday, March 18, 2021 / 
Notices  

[[Page 14720]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Codex Office


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

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 April 
12, 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 14th Session of the Codex 
Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission. The U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Acting 
Deputy Under Secretary for 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 April 12, 2021 from 1:00-
4:00 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place virtually. Documents 
related to the 14th Session of the CCCF will be accessible via the 
internet at the following address: http://ww.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCCF&session=14.
    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 Dr. Henry Kim at the following email address: 
[email protected].
    Registration: Attendees may register to attend the virtual public 
meeting here: https://fda.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsce6tpz0uGCiuxe2thMQL6-nruzmbFdk or by emailing 
[email protected] by April 5, 2021.
    For Further Information about the 14th Session of the CCCF and the 
Public Meeting, contact Henry Kim, Ph.D., FDA, at 
[email protected], or the U.S. Codex office at [email protected], 
(202) 720-7760.

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 Terms of Reference of the CCCF are:
    (a) To establish or endorse permitted maximum levels or guidelines 
levels for contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and 
feed;
    (b) to prepare priority lists of contaminants and naturally 
occurring toxicants for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert 
Committee on Food Additives;
    (c) to consider methods of analysis and sampling for the 
determination of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food 
and feed;
    (d) to consider and elaborate standards or codes of practice for 
related subjects; and
    (e) to consider other matters assigned to it by the Commission in 
relation to contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and 
feed.
    The CCCF is chaired by the Netherlands. The United States attends 
the CCCF as a member country of Codex.

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 the Committee by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission and/or its subsidiary bodies
 Matters of interest arising from FAO and WHO including the 
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
 Matters of interest arising from other international 
organizations
 Maximum level for cadmium in chocolates containing or 
declaring <30% total cocoa solids on a dry matter basis
 Maximum levels for cadmium in chocolates 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)
 Code of practice for the prevention and reduction of cadmium 
contamination in cocoa beans
 Maximum levels for lead in certain food categories
 Revision of the Code of Practice for the prevention and 
reduction of lead contamination in foods
 Maximum levels for total aflatoxins in certain cereals and 
cereal-based products including foods for infants and young children
 Sampling plans and performance criteria for total aflatoxins 
in certain cereals and cereal-based products including foods for 
infants and young children
 Maximum level for total aflatoxins in ready-to-eat peanuts and 
associated sampling plan
 Maximum levels for total aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in 
nutmeg, dried chili and paprika, ginger, pepper and turmeric and 
associated sampling plans
 Methylmercury in fish:
    [cir] Maximum levels for additional fish species
    [cir] Sampling plans
    [cir] Other risk management recommendations
 Hydrogen cyanide and mycotoxin contamination in cassava and 
cassava-based products
 Cadmium and lead in quinoa
 Radioactivity in feed and food (including drinking water) in 
normal circumstances
 Guidance on data analysis for development of maximum levels 
and for improved data collection
 Approach to identify the need for revision of standards and 
related texts 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

[[Page 14721]]

 JECFA evaluations:
    [cir] Priority list of contaminants for evaluation by JECFA
    [cir] Follow-up work to the outcomes of JECFA evaluations
 Other business and future work

Public Meeting

    At the April 12th 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. Henry Kim at 
[email protected]. Written comments should state that they relate 
to activities of the 14th Session of the CCCF.

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 12, 2021.
Mary Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2021-05640 Filed 3-17-21; 8:45 am]
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