[Federal Register: January 31, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 21)]
[Notices]
[Page 4981-4982]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31ja03-48]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 03-001N]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: 25th (Extraordinary) Session of
the Codex Alimentarius Commission
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United
States Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) are sponsoring a public meeting on January 31, 2003, to provide
information and receive public comments on agenda items that will be
discussed at the meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Commission to be
held in Geneva, Switzerland on February 13-15, 2003. The Under
Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested
parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the Twenty-
fifth (Extraordinary) Session of Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex)
and to address items on the Agenda for the 25th Commission meeting.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Friday, January 31, 2003,
from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 107A, Jamie L.
Whitten Federal Building, USDA, 12th and Jefferson Drive, 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 will also be
accessible via the World Wide Web. If you have comments, please send an
original and two copies to the FSIS Docket Clerk and reference Docket
Number 03-001N. 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: F. Edward Scarbrough, Ph.D., 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, Phone: (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 720-3157.
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 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
manage and carry out U.S. Codex activities.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
Report of the Evaluation of the Codex Alimentarius and other FAO
and WHO Food Standards Work. An evaluation was commissioned by FAO and
WHO and also designed to meet the request for a review by the Codex
Alimentarius Commission. The evaluation team has completed its work and
made over 40 recommendations regarding Codex policies and procedures,
the expert committees, and capacity building efforts of FAO and WHO.
These recommendations will be discussed at the public meeting and at
the 25th (Extraordinary) Session of the Commission.
FAO/WHO Trust Fund. At its 24th Session, the Codex Alimentarius
Commission agreed in principle to establish an FAO/WHO Trust Fund to
support developing country participation in the Codex Commission and
subsidiary body meetings. FAO and
[[Page 4982]]
WHO were to develop clear rules and procedures for the establishment
and functioning of a trust fund for consideration by the Commission to
ensure its complete transparency and avoidance of bias and influence,
to report on its implementation and indicate envisioned sources of
funding. These rules and procedures will be discussed at the public
meeting and at the 25th (Extraordinary) Session of the Commission.
Public Meeting
At the January 31st 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 activities of the 25th (Extraordinary) Session of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission.
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 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. FSIS provides a weekly FSIS Constituent Update, which is
communicated via Listserv, a free e-mail subscription service. In
addition, the update is available on line through the Internet at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov. The update is used to provide information
regarding FSIS 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 and stakeholders. The constituent Listserv consists of
industry, trade, and farm groups, consumer interest groups, allied
health professionals, scientific professionals, and other individuals
who have requested to be included. Through the Listserv and web page,
FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader, more diverse
audience.
For more information, contact the Congressional and Public Affairs
Office at (202) 720-9113. To be added to the free e-mail subscription
service (Listserv), go to the ``Constituent Update'' page on the FSIS
Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/update.htm. Click on the
``Subscribe to the Constituent Update Listserv'' link, then fill out
and submit the form.
Done at Washington, DC, on January 28, 2003.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 03-2305 Filed 1-30-03; 8:45 am]