[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 177 (Wednesday, September 14, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56396-56397]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19819]


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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. 177 / Wednesday, September 14, 2022 / 
Notices  

[[Page 56396]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. Codex Office


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

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 virtual public meeting on 
October 27, 2022. The objective of the public meeting is to provide 
information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. 
positions to be discussed at the 53rd Session of the Codex Committee on 
Food Hygiene (CCFH) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which will 
take place November 29-December 2, 2022, with the report adoption on 
December 8, 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 53rd Session of the 
CCFH and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for October 27, 2022, from 1:00 
p.m.-4:00 p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via video teleconference 
only. Documents related to the 53rd Session of the CCFH will be 
accessible via the internet at the following address: https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCFH&session=53.
    Ms. Jenny Scott, U.S. Delegate to the 53rd Session of the CCFH, 
invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically 
to the following email address: [email protected].
    Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting 
here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsf-urrz8iGN5BcwKKuIL3yAYvR__kbtU. After registering, you will receive a 
confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
    For further information about the 53rd Session of the CCFH, contact 
U.S. Delegate, Ms. Jenny Scott at [email protected]. For further 
information about the public meeting, contact the U.S. Codex Office, 
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 4861, South Agriculture Building, 
Washington, DC 20250. Phone: (202) 205-7760. Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius Commission 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 Hygiene 
(CCFH) are:
    (a) to draft basic provisions on food hygiene applicable to all 
food;
    (b) to consider, amend if necessary, and endorse provisions on 
hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and contained in Codex 
commodity standards, and
    (c) to consider, amend if necessary, and endorse provisions on 
hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and contained in Codex 
codes of practice unless, in specific cases, the Commission has decided 
otherwise, or
    (d) to draft provisions on hygiene applicable to specific food 
items or food groups, whether coming within the terms of reference of a 
Codex commodity committee or not;
    (e) to consider specific hygiene problems assigned to it by the 
Commission;
    (f) to suggest and prioritize areas where there is a need for 
microbiological risk assessment at the international level and to 
develop questions to be addressed by the risk assessors; and
    (g) to consider microbiological risk management matters in relation 
to food hygiene and in relation to the risk assessment of FAO and WHO.
    The CCFH is hosted by the United States of America.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 53rd Session of the CCFH 
will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and/or 
other Codex subsidiary bodies to the Committee
 Matters arising from the work of FAO and WHO (including the 
FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment 
(JEMRA))
 Information from the World Organisation for Animal Health 
(WOAH)
 Proposed draft guidelines for the control of Shiga toxin-
producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in raw beef, fresh leafy vegetables, 
raw milk and raw milk cheeses, and sprouts
 Proposed draft guidelines for the safe use and re-use of water 
in food production
 Discussion paper on revision of the Guidelines on the 
Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of 
Pathogenic Vibrio Species in Seafood (CXG 73-2010)
 Discussion paper on revision of the Guidelines on the 
Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of 
Viruses in Food (CXG 79-2012)
 Other Business and Future Work: (a) New Work/Forward Workplan

Public Meeting

    At the public meeting on October 27, 2022, 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 Ms. Jenny Scott, U.S. 
Delegate to the 53rd Session of the CCFH (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 53rd 
Session of the CCFH.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, the U.S.

[[Page 56397]]

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 
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 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 September 8, 2022.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2022-19819 Filed 9-13-22; 8:45 am]
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