[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56719-56720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15096]
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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 August
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 27th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Import
and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (CAC). The 27th Session of the CCFICS will be
held in Cairns, Australia, from September 16-20, 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 27th
Session of the CCFICS and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for August 21, 2024, from 1:00-
4:00 p.m. ET.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via Video Teleconference
only. Documents related to the 27th 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=27.
Dr. Michelle Catlin, U.S. Delegate to the 27th 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
at the following link: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItc-6rpzIuGPEVvN9FhCzAF2fXU6TBzKA. After registering, you will receive a
confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
For further information about the 27th Session of the CCFICS,
contact U.S. Delegate, Dr. Michelle Catlin, Chief Scientist, Food
Safety and Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture,
by email at: [email protected]. For additional information
regarding the public meeting, contact the U.S. Codex Office by email
at: [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 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 harmonizing 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
[[Page 56720]]
provide assurance where necessary that foodstuffs comply with
requirements, especially statutory health requirements;
(c) to develop guidelines for the utilization, as and when
appropriate, of quality assurance systems 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;
(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.
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).
The CCFICS is hosted by Australia. The United States attends the
CCFICS as a member country of Codex.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items from the Provisional Agenda for the 27th
Session of the CCFICS will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters arising from the Codex Alimentarius Commission and
its subsidiary bodies
Information on activities of the FAO and WHO and other
international organizations relevant to the work of CCFICS
Draft Consolidated Codex Guidelines related to Equivalence
Draft Guidelines on the Prevention and Control of Food
Fraud
Draft revision and updating of the Principles for
Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool Within a Food Inspection and
Certification System (CXG 60-2006)
Discussion paper on guidance on appeals mechanism in the
context of rejection of imported food
Discussion paper on the standardization of sanitary
requirements
Review and update of Appendix A--the list of emerging
global issues
Other business
Public Meeting
At the August 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 Dr. Michelle Catlin, U.S.
Delegate to the 27th Session of the CCFICS, at
[email protected]. Written comments should state that they
relate to activities of the 27th Session of the CCFICS.
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 July 3, 2024.
Julie A. Chao,
Deputy U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2024-15096 Filed 7-9-24; 8:45 am]
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