Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Steven Cohen

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2004 - The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today announced a public meeting to provide information and receive comments on agenda items to be discussed at the 32nd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) in Montreal, Canada, May 10-14, 2004.

The public meeting will be held from 1-4 p.m. Tuesday, March 30, 2004, in room 107-A of the Department of Agriculture, Jamie Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC. Among the agenda items to be discussed are: Consideration of Labeling Provisions in Draft Codex Standards; Draft Guidelines for the Use of Health and Nutrition Claims; Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labeling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods, Labeling of Foods and Food Ingredients Obtained through Certain Techniques of Genetic Modification/ Genetic Engineering. A complete agenda for the meeting can be found at https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081031040105/http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.

The Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) drafts provisions on labeling applicable to all foods; considers, amends if necessary and endorses specific provisions on labeling of draft standards, codes of practice and guidelines prepared by other Codex committees; studies specific labeling problems assigned to it by the Commission; and studies problems associated with the advertisement of food with particular reference to claims and misleading descriptions.

Codex was created in 1962 by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Codex develops food standards, guidelines and codes of practice in order to protect the health of consumers, ensure fair practices in the food trade and promote coordination of food standards undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

To receive copies of referenced agenda document items or to submit written comments, please contact the FSIS Docket Clerk, #04-005N, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12^th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700.

For further information, contact Ellen Matten, International Issues Analyst, U.S. Codex Office at (202) 205-7760. Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations should notify Syed A. Ali, International Issues Analyst at (202) 205-7760 or Fax (202) 720-3157.