[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 126 (Tuesday, July 6, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35459-35460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14347]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. Codex Office


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

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 1, 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 46th Session of 
the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission, to be held virtually, September 27-October 1, 2021 with the 
report adoption on October 7, 2021. 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 46th Session of the CCFL and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for September 1, 2021, from 
2:00-4:00 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via Video Teleconference 
only. Documents related to the 46th Session of the CCFL will be 
accessible via the internet at the following address: http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCFL&session=46.
    Dr. Douglas Balentine, U.S. Delegate to the 46th Session of the 
CCFL, invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments 
electronically to the following email address: 
[email protected].
    Registration: Attendees must register to attend the public meeting 
by emailing [email protected] by August 30, 2021. Early registration is 
encouraged.

[[Page 35460]]

    For Further Information about the 46th Session of the CCFL, contact 
U.S. Delegate, Dr. Douglas Balentine, [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 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 Labelling 
(CCFL) are:
    (a) To draft provisions on labeling applicable to all foods;
    (b) to consider, amend if necessary, and endorse draft specific 
provisions on labeling prepared by the Codex Committees drafting 
standards, codes of practice and guidelines;
    (c) to study specific labeling problems assigned to it by the 
Commission; and,
    (d) to study problems associated with the advertisement of food 
with particular reference to claims and misleading descriptions.
    The CCFL is hosted by Canada. The United States attends the CCFL as 
a member country of Codex.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 46th Session of the CCFL 
will be discussed during the public meeting:
 Adoption of the Agenda
 Matters referred to the Committee by the CAC and other Codex 
Subsidiary Bodies
 Matters of interest from FAO and WHO
 Consideration of labeling provisions in draft Codex standards 
(endorsement)
 Draft Guidance for the Labelling of Non-Retail Containers
 Proposed draft Guidelines on Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling
 Proposed draft Guidelines on internet sales/e-commerce
 Proposed draft revision to the General Standard for the 
Labelling of Prepackaged Foods--Provisions relevant to allergen 
labeling
 Proposed draft Guidance on Precautionary Allergen Labelling
 Innovation--use of technology in food labelling (discussion 
paper)
 Labelling of alcoholic beverages (discussion paper)
 Labelling of foods in joint presentation and multipack formats 
(discussion paper)
 Future work and direction of CCFL (discussion paper) (request 
for information through CL2020/08-FL)
 Approach and criteria for evaluation and prioritization of 
work of CCFL (request for comments through CL2020/09/OCS-FL)

Public Meeting

    At the September 1, 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. Douglas 
Balentine, U.S. Delegate for the 46th Session of the CCFL (see 
ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they relate to 
activities of the 46th Session of the CCFL.

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 June 30, 2021.
Mary Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2021-14347 Filed 7-2-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P