[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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