[Federal Register: January 29, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 19)] [Notices] [Page 4632-4633] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr29ja99-34] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food Safety and Inspection Service [Docket No. 99-001N] Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice; request for comment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United States Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a public meeting on February 9, 1999, to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items that will be discussed at the Thirty-first Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC), which will be held in the Hague, the Netherlands, March 22-26, 1999. The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information and address agenda items on the Thirty-first Session of the CCFAC. DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 9, 1999, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. [[Page 4633]] ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 1419, FOB 8, 200 C St. SW, Washington, DC. Send an original and two copies of written comments to: FSIS Docket Clerk, Docket # 99-001N, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th St., SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700. All comments submitted in response to this notice 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: Patrick J. Clerkin, Associate U.S. Manager for Codex, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 4861, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700, Telephone: (202) 205-7760; Fax: (202) 720- 3157. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The Codex Alimentarius Commission (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. The Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants establishes or endorses maximum or guideline levels for individual food additives, contaminants (including environmental contaminants), and naturally occurring toxicants in foodstuffs and animal feeds. In addition, the Committee prepares priority lists of food additives and contaminants for toxicological evaluation by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives; recommends specifications of identity and purity for food additives for adoption by the Commission; considers methods of analysis for their determination in food; considers and elaborates standards or codes for related subjects such as the labelling of food additives when sold as such; and review process for food irradiation. Issues to be discussed at the public meeting: General Issues 1. Adoption of the Agenda 2. Matters Referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other Codex Committees 3. Summary Report of the 51st Meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) 4. Action Required as a Result of Changes in ADI Status and other Toxicological Recommendations 5. Discussion Paper on the Application of Risk Analysis Principles for Food Additives and Contaminants Food Additives 1. Endorsement and/or Revision of Maximum Levels for Food Additives in Codex Standards 2. Consideration of the Codex General Standard for Food Additives 3. Discussion Paper on the Use of Colours in Foods 4. Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives Arising from the 51st JECFA Meeting 5. Proposed Amendments to the International Numbering System Contaminants 1. Endorsement and/or Revision of Maximum Levels for Contaminants in Codex Standards 2. Comments on Section 3.2 (Health Related Limits for Certain Substances) of the Codex Standard for Natural Mineral Water 3. Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Foods: Report of the ad hoc Working Group on Contaminants and Toxins 4. Methodology and Principles for Exposure Assessment in the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Foods 5. Mycotoxins in Food and Feed (a) Ochratoxin (b) Zearalenone (c) Patulin 6. Industrial and Environmental Contaminants in Foods (a) Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Source Directed Measures to Reduce Contamination of Food with Chemicals (b) Lead (c) Tin (d) Cadmium (e) Arsenic (f) Dioxins General Issues 1. Proposals for Priority Evaluation of Food Additives and Contaminants by JECFA 2. Other Business and Future Work (a) Comments on Methods of Analysis for the Determination of Food Additives and Contaminants in Foods (b) Comments on the Inventory of Processing Aids (c) Comments on Packaging Provisions to Maintain the Stability of Iodized Salt in the Codex Standard for Food Grade Salt At the February 9, 1999, public meeting, the agenda items will be described and discussed and attendees will have the opportunity to pose questions and offer comments. Comments may be sent to the FSIS Docket Room (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they relate to CCFAC activities of the Thirty-first Session. Done at Washington, DC on January 26, 1999. F. Edward Scarbrough, U.S. Manager for Codex. [FR Doc. 99-2222 Filed 1-28-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P