[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 28 (Friday, February 10, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8795-8796]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-02810]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. Codex Office


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems

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 March 
23, 2023 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. EST. 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 26th 
Session of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and 
Certification Systems (CCFICS) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, 
which will meet in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia from May 1-5, 2023. The 
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Under Secretary for Trade 
and Foreign Agricultural Affairs recognize the importance of providing 
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on 
the 26th Session of the CCFICS and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for March 23, 2023, from 1-3 
p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via Video Teleconference 
only. Documents related to the 26th Session of the CCFICS will be 
accessible via the internet at the following address: https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCFICS&session=26.
    Dr. Michelle Catlin, U.S. Delegate to the 26th Session of the 
CCFICS, 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/vJItc-ypqT4rG02UwvpvFjgyoCNe5q1vSXA. After registering, you will receive a 
confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
    For further information about the 26th Session of the CCFICS, 
contact Michelle Catlin, Ph.D., International Coordination Executive, 
Office of International Coordination, Food Safety and Inspection 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Phone: +1 (202) 708-8769, 
Email: [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: 
+1 (202) 720-9483; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius Commission 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 for the Codex Committee on Food Import and 
Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) are:
    (a) to develop principles and guidelines for food import and export 
inspection and certification systems with a view to harmonising methods 
and procedures which protect the health of consumers, ensure fair 
trading practices and facilitate international trade in foodstuffs;
    (b) to develop principles and guidelines for the application of 
measures by the competent authorities of exporting and importing 
countries to provide assurance where necessary that foodstuffs comply 
with requirements, especially statutory health requirements;
    (c) to develop guidelines for the utilisation, as and when 
appropriate, of quality assurance systems \1\ to ensure that foodstuffs 
conform with requirements and to promote the recognition of these 
systems in facilitating trade in food products under bilateral/
multilateral arrangements by countries;
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    \1\ Quality assurance means all those planned and systematic 
actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that a product or 
service will satisfy given requirements for quality (ISO-8402 
Quality--Vocabulary)
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    (d) to develop guidelines and criteria with respect to format, 
declarations and language of such official certificates as countries 
may require with a view towards international harmonization;
    (e) to make recommendations for information exchange in relation to 
food import/export control;
    (f) to consult as necessary with other international groups working 
on matters related to food inspection and certification systems; and,
    (g) to consider other matters assigned to it by the Commission in 
relation to food inspection and certification systems.
    The CCFICS is hosted by Australia, and the meeting is attended by 
the United States as a member country of the Codex Alimentarius.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 26th Session of the 
CCFICS will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Matters referred by CAC and other subsidiary bodies
 Matters of interest arising from FAO/WHO
 Proposed draft guidelines on recognition and maintenance of 
equivalence of National Food Control Systems (NFCS)
 Proposed draft Guidance on the prevention and control of food 
fraud
 Proposed draft Principles and Guidelines on the Use of Remote 
Audit and Verification in Regulatory Frameworks
 Proposed draft consolidated Codex Guidelines related to 
equivalence
 Discussion paper on review and update of the ``Principles for 
Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool Within a Food Inspection and 
Certification System (CXG 60-2006)
 Other business and future work

Public Meeting

    At the public meeting on March 23, 2023, 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. Michelle Catlin, 
U.S. Delegate to the 26th Session of the CCFICS (see ADDRESSES). 
Written comments should state that they relate to activities of the 
26th Session of the CCFICS.

[[Page 8796]]

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 
Codex 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 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.usda.gov/oascr/filing-program-discrimination-complaint-usda-customer, 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.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2023-02810 Filed 2-9-23; 8:45 am]
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