[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89362-89363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28533]


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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 public meeting on 
February 5, 2024. 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 54th Session of the Codex Committee on 
Food Hygiene (CCFH) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). CCFH54 
will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from March 11-March 15, 2024. 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 54th Session of the CCFH and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for February 5, 2024, from 2:00-
4:00 p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via Video Teleconference 
only. Documents related to the 54th 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=54.
    Dr. Benjamin Warren, U.S. Delegate to the 54th 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/vJItc-6qqzMuH510Gf6uXw7xtk9Jq-9tGis#/registration. After registering, you 
will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining 
the meeting.
    For further information about the 54th Session of the CCFH, contact 
U.S. Delegate, Dr. Benjamin Warren, Senior Science Advisor for Food 
Safety, Office of Food Safety, Center for Food Safety and Applied 
Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 
[email protected], 1-240-645-7004. For an additional 
information regarding the public meeting, contact the U.S. Codex Office 
by email at: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 89363]]

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 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.
    (h) (The term ``hygiene'' includes, where necessary, 
microbiological specifications for food and associated methodology.)
    The CCFH is hosted by the United States, and the 54th Session of 
the CCFH will be co-hosted with Kenya.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items from the forthcoming Agenda for the 54th 
Session of the CCFH will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Matters referred to the Committee by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission and/or its subsidiary bodies
 Matters arising from the work of FAO and WHO (including the 
FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessments 
(JEMRA)
 Information from the World Organization for Animal Health 
(WOAH)
 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
[cir] Proposed draft Annex II on Fresh Leafy Vegetables at Step 4
[cir] Proposed draft Annex IV on Sprouts at Step 4
 Guidelines for the Safe Use and Reuse of Water in Food 
Production (Annex II on Fishery Products at Step 4 and Annex III on 
Dairy Products at Step 4
     Proposed draft revision on the Guidelines on the 
Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of 
Pathogenic Vibrio Species in Seafood (CXG 73-2010) at Step 4
     Proposed draft Guidelines for Food Hygiene Control 
Measures in Traditional Markets for Food at Step 4
 Alignment of Codex texts developed by CCFH with the revised 
General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969)
 Revision of the Guidelines on the Application of General 
Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Viruses in Food (CXG 79-
2012)
 Discussion paper on the Revision of Guidelines for the Control 
of Campylobacter and Salmonella in Chicken Meat (CXG 78-2011)
 Discussion paper on the revision of Guidelines on the 
Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of 
Listeria monocytogenes in Foods (CXG 61-2007)
 Other business and future work
    [cir] New work/Forward workplan (Proposals in reply to CL 2023/30-
FH)

Public Meeting

    At the February 5, 2024, 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. Benjamin Warren, 
U.S. Delegate to the 54th Session of the CCFH, at 
[email protected]. Written comments should state that they 
relate to activities of the 54th Session of the CCFH.

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, on December 21, 2023.
Julie Chao,
Deputy U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2023-28533 Filed 12-26-23; 8:45 am]
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