[Federal Register: March 28, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 60)]
[Notices]
[Page 14906-14907]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28mr02-26]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 02-009N]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: 17th Session of the Codex
Committee on General Principles
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting, request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United
States
[[Page 14907]]
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food And Drug Administration
(FDA), are sponsoring a public meeting on March 26, 2002, to provide
information and receive public comments on agenda items that will be
discussed at the Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP), which
will be held in Paris, France, on April 15-19, 2002. The Under
Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested
parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 17th
Session of the General Principles Committee of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission (Codex) and to address items on the Agenda for the 17th
CCGP.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 26th, 2002,
from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 107A, Jamie E.
Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Ave, SW., Washington, DC. To
receive copies of the documents referenced in the notice contact the
FSIS Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and
Inspection Service, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20250-3700. The documents are also accessible via the
World Wide Web at the following address: http://
www.codexalimentarius.net/ccgp17/gp02_01e.htm. If you have comments,
please send an original and two copies to the FSIS Docket Room, Docket
#02-009N. All comments submitted will be available for public
inspection in the Docket Clerk's Office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. F. Edward Scarbrough, U.S. Manager
for Codex, U.S. Codex Office, FSIS, Room 4861, South Building, 1400
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250, Phone: (202) 205-7760,
Fax: (202) 720-3157. Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or
other special accommodations should notify Dr. F. Edward Scarbrough at
the above telephone number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Codex was established in 1962 by two United Nations organizations,
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Health
Organization (WHO). Codex is the major international organization for
protecting the health and economic interests of consumers and
encouraging fair international trade in food. 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 ensure that the world's food supply is
sound, wholesome, free from adulteration, and correctly labeled. In the
United States, USDA, FDA, and EPA manage and carry out U.S. Codex
activities.
The Codex Committee on General Principles deals with such
procedural and general matters as are referred to it by the Codex
Alimentarius Commission. Such matters have included the establishment
of the General Principles that define the purpose and scope of the
Codex Alimentarius; the nature of Codex standards and the forms of
acceptance by countries of Codex standards; the development of
Guidelines for Codex Committees; the development of a mechanism for
examining any economic impact statements submitted by governments
concerning possible implications for their economies of some of the
individual standards or some of the provisions thereof; and the
establishment of a Code of Ethics for the International Trade in Food.
The Committee is chaired by France.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The provisional agenda items will be discussed during the public
meeting:
1. Adoption of the Agenda.
2. Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other
Codex Committees, including Traceability.
3. Risk Analysis
(a) Proposed Draft Working Principles for Risk Analysis
(b) The Application of Risk Analysis in the Elaboration of Codex
Standards (prepared by India)
(c) Consideration of the development of working principles for risk
analysis to be applied by governments
4. Proposed Draft Revised Code of Ethics for International Trade in
Foods
5. Guidelines for Cooperation with International Intergovernmental
Organizations
6. Membership in the Codex Alimentarius Commission of Regional
Economic Integration Organizations
7. Other Business, Future Work
Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed,
or to be distributed, by the French Secretariat at the 17th Session of
CCGP. Members of the public may access or request copies of these
documents (see ADDRESSES).
Public Meeting
At the March 26th public meeting, the agenda items will be
described, discussed, and attendees will have the opportunity to pose
questions and offer comments. Written comments may be offered at the
meeting or sent to the FSIS Docket Room (see ADDRESSES). Written
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 17th CCGP.
Additional Public Notification
Pursuant to Departmental Regulation 4300-4, ``Civil Rights Impact
Analysis,'' dated September 22, 1993, FSIS has considered the potential
civil rights impact of this notice on minorities, women, and persons
with disabilities. Therefore, to better ensure that these groups and
others are made aware of this meeting, FSIS will announce it and
provide copies of the Federal Register publication in the FSIS
Constituent Update.
The Agency provides a weekly FSIS Constituent Update, which is
communicated via fax to over 300 organizations and individuals. In
addition, the update is available on line through the FSIS web page
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov. The update is used to provide
information regarding Agency policies, procedures, regulations, Federal
Register Notices, FSIS public meetings, recalls and any other types of
information that could affect or would be of interest to our
constituents/stakeholders. The constituent fax list consists of
industry, trade, and farm groups, consumer interest groups, allied
health professionals, scientific professionals and other individuals
that have requested to be included. Through these various channels, the
Agency is able to provide information with a much broader, more diverse
audience.
For more information and to be added to the constituent fax list,
fax your request to the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, at
(202) 720-5704.
Done at Washington, DC on: March 21, 2002.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 02-7469 Filed 3-27-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P
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