[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 28 (Friday, February 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9116-9117]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02657]


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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 March 
21, 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 17th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants 
in Foods (CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). CCCF17 will 
be held in Panama City, Panama from April 15-19, 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 17th 
Session of the CCCF and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for March 21, 2024, from 1 to 3 
p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via Video Teleconference 
only. Documents related to the 17th Session of the CCCF will be 
accessible via the internet at the following address: https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/it/?meeting=CCCF&session=17.
    Dr. Lauren Posnick Robin, U.S. Delegate to the 17th Session of the 
CCCF, invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments 
electronically to the following email address: Quynh-Anh Nguyen, [email protected]. Emailed comments should state in the title that 
they relate to activities of the 17th Session of the CCCF.
    Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting 
here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdOmsrjgpGbqn89rYPIXUAWJawQCq39Y. After registering, you will 
receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the 
meeting.
    For further information about the 17th Session of the CCCF, contact 
U.S. Delegate, Dr. Lauren Posnick Robin, Chief, Plant Products Branch, 
in the Division of Plant Products and Beverages, Office of Food Safety, 
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration, at [email protected]. For additional information 
regarding the public meeting, contact the U.S. Codex Office by email 
at: [email protected] or Quynh-Anh Nguyen, [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 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 Netherlands hosts the CCCF and is co-hosting the 17th Session 
of the CCCF with Panama. 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 17th 
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 levels for lead in certain food categories
 Sampling plans for methylmercury in fish
 Definition for ready-to-eat peanuts for the establishment of a 
maximum level for total aflatoxins in this product
 Sampling plans for total aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in 
certain spices
 Code of practice/guidelines for the prevention and reduction 
of ciguatera poisoning
 Discussion Papers on the following materials:
    [cir] Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
    [cir] Tropane alkaloids
    [cir] Acrylamide in foods
    [cir] Cadmium and lead in quinoa
    [cir] Review of the Code of Practice for the Prevention and 
Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in Peanuts (CXC 55-2004)
 Review of the Code of Practice for the Reduction of Aflatoxin 
B1 in Raw Materials and Supplemental Feedingstuffs for Milk-Producing 
Animals (CXC 45-1997)

[[Page 9117]]

 Development of a Code of practice for the prevention and 
reduction of cadmium contamination in foods
 Guidance on data analysis for development of maximum levels 
and for improved data collection
 Review of Codex standards for contaminants
 Follow-up work to the outcomes of JECFA evaluations and FAO/
WHO expert consultations
 Priority list of contaminants for evaluation by JECFA
 Foresight on emerging issues in food and feed safety relevant 
to contaminants
 Other business and future work

Public Meeting

    At the March 21, 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 Quynh-Anh Nguyen, at [email protected]. Written comments should state that they relate 
to activities of the 17th 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 
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 February 5, 2024.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2024-02657 Filed 2-8-24; 8:45 am]
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