[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 57 (Thursday, March 24, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16704-16705]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06262]


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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 
 appearing in this section.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 57 / Thursday, March 24, 2022 / 
Notices  

[[Page 16704]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. 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 
19, 2022. 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 15th Session of the Codex 
Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission (CAC), which will convene virtually, May 9-13, 2022, with 
report adoption on May 24, 2022. 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 15th Session of the CCCF and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for April 19, 2022, from 1:00-
3:00 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via Video Teleconference 
only. Documents related to the 15th Session of the CCCF will be 
accessible via the internet at the following address: https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCCF&session=15.
    Dr. Lauren Posnick Robin, U.S. Delegate to the 15th Session of the 
CCCF, invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments 
electronically to the following email address: 
[email protected]. Emailed comments should state in the title 
that they relate to activities of the 15th Session of the CCCF.
    Registration: Attendees must register to attend the public meeting 
here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsceGurDkvGLZO3ek3TyOwCO2Mytr_oQE. After registering, you will 
receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the 
meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    For Information about the 15th Session of the CCCF, contact U.S. 
Delegate, Dr. Lauren Posnick Robin, [email protected], +1 (240) 
402-1639.
    For 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], or Quynh-Anh Nguyen, [email protected], Phone (240) 402-2028.

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 Codex Committee on Contaminants in 
Foods (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 hosted 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 from the forthcoming Agenda for the 15th 
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 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
 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 methylmercury in orange roughy and pink 
cusk eel
    [cir] Sampling plan
    [cir] Other risk management measures
 Code of practice for the prevention and reduction of 
mycotoxins contamination in cassava and cassava-based products
 Guidance on data analysis for development of maximum levels 
and for improved data collection
 Forward work-plan for CCCF:
    [cir] Review of staple food-contaminant combinations for future 
work of CCCF
 JECFA evaluations:

[[Page 16705]]

    [cir] Priority list of contaminants for evaluation by JECFA
    [cir] Follow-up work to the outcomes of JECFA evaluations and FAO/
WHO expert consultations

Public Meeting

    At the April 19, 2022, 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. Lauren Posnick Robin, U.S. 
Delegate for the 15th Session of the CCCF (see ADDRESSES). Emailed 
comments should state in the title that they relate to activities of 
the 15th 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: https://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.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.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, American Sign Language, 
etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and 
TDD).

    Done at Washington, DC, on March 21, 2022.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2022-06262 Filed 3-23-22; 8:45 am]
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