[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 22 (Tuesday, February 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5120-5122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-2135]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 03-047N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: 36th Session of the Codex 
Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and 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), Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a public 
meeting on February 9, 2004, to provide information and receive public 
comments on agenda items that will be discussed at the meeting of the 
Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC), which will 
be held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on March 22-26, 2004. The Under

[[Page 5121]]

Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested 
parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the Thirty-
sixth Session of the Additives and Contaminants Committee of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and to address items on the Agenda for 
the 36th CCFAC.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 9, 2004 
from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Auditorium, Harvey W. 
Wiley Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, 
Maryland. 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 at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp. If you have comments, please 
send an original and two copies to the FSIS Docket Clerk and reference 
the Docket <greek-i>03-047N. 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: Contact Ellen Matten, 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. Attendees are requested to pre-register as 
soon as possible by e-mail to (e-mail address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0e6d6d686f6d4e6d687d6f6020686a6f20696178"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2e4d4d484f4d6e4d485d4f4000484a4f00494158">[email protected]</span></a>).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Codex was established in 1962 by two United States 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 
manage and carry out U.S. Codex activities.
    The Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants establishes 
or endorses maximum or guideline levels for individual food additives, 
for contaminants (including environmental contaminants) and for 
naturally occurring toxicants in foodstuffs and animal fees. 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 the determination of food additives and 
contaminants in food; and considers and elaborates standards or codes 
for related subjects such as the labeling of food additives when sold 
as such, and food irradiation. The Committee is chaired by The 
Netherlands.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    Items on the Provisional Agenda of the 36th Session of CCFAC to be 
discussed during the public meeting:
Matters referred/of Interest to the Committee arising from the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission and other Codex Committees 61st Meeting of the 
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
    (a) Summary Report
    (b) Action Required as a Result of Changes in the Acceptable Daily 
Intake (ADI) Status and other Toxicological Recommendations
Draft Risk Assessment Principles applied by the Codex Committee on Food 
Additives and Contaminants
Food Additives
Endorsement and/or Revision of Maximum Levels for Food Additives in 
Codex Standards
Consideration of the Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA)
    (a) Report of the ad hoc Working Group on the Codex General 
Standard for Food Additives
    (b) Proposed draft revised Preamble of the Codex General Standard 
for Food Additives
    (c) Draft Food Category System of the Codex General Standard for 
Food Additives
    (d) Proposed draft and draft Revisions to Table 1 of the Codex 
General Standard for Food additives
    (i) Report of the GSFA Quality Control Working Group
Discussion Paper on Realistic Approaches and Recommendations on the 
Consideration of Processing Aids and Carriers
Proposed draft Code of Practice on the Safe Use of Active Chlorine
Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives
    (a) Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives 
arising from the 61st JECFA Meeting
    (b) Report of the ad hoc Working Group on Specifications
International Numbering System (INS) for Food Additives
    (a) Proposals for amendments to the International Numbering System 
for Food Additives
    (b) Report of the Working Group on International Numbering System
    (c) Discussion Paper on the Harmonization of Terms Used in Codex 
Food Additive Class Names and in the International Numbering System for 
Food Additives with those used by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on 
Food Additives
Contaminants
Endorsement and/or Revision of Maximum Levels for Contaminants in Codex 
Standards
Consideration of the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins 
in Foods (GSCT)
    (a) Report of the ad hoc Working Group on Contaminants and Toxins
    (b) Schedule 1 of the Proposed Draft Codex General Standard for 
Contaminants and Toxins in Foods
    (c) Draft Principles for Exposure Assessment of Contaminants and 
Toxins in Foods
Mycotoxins in Food and Feed
    (a) Maximum Level for Patulin in Apple Juice and Apple Juice 
Ingredients in Other Beverages--New data submitted
    (b) Draft Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of 
Aflatoxin
    (c) Draft Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of 
Aflatoxin
    (d) Discussion Paper on Aflatoxins in Tree Nuts (other than 
almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios), including information submitted on 
Aflatoxin Contamination and Methods of Analysis for the Determination 
of Alfatoxin in Tree Nuts
    (e) Maximum Levels for Aflatoxins in Tree Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts 
and pistachios)--comments
    (f) Draft Maximum Levels for Ochratoxin A in Raw Wheat, Barley and 
Rye and Derived Products
    (g) Proposals for Maximum Levels for Deoxynivalenol
    (h) Mycotoxin Contamination in

[[Page 5122]]

Sorghum--Comments
Industrial and Environmental Contaminants in Foods
    (a) Draft Maximum Levels for Lead in Fish
    (b) Draft Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Lead 
in Food
    (c) Proposed draft Maximum Levels for Tin
    (d) Proposed draft Code of Practice for the Prevention and 
Reduction of Tin Contamination in Foods
    (e) Proposed draft Maximum Levels for Cadmium
    (f) Proposed draft Code of Practice for Source Directed Measures to 
Reduce Dioxin and Dioxin Like PCB Contamination of Foods
    (g) Position paper on Dioxins and Dioxin-like PCBs
    (h) Position paper on Chloropropanols
    (i) Discussion Paper on Acrylamide
Proposed draft revised Guideline Levels for Radionuclides in Foods 
Following Accidental Nuclear Contamination for Use in International 
Trade (CAC/GL 5-1989), including Guideline Levels for Radionuclides for 
Long-Term Use
General Issues
Priority List of Food Additives, Contaminants and Naturally Occurring 
Toxicants Proposed for evaluation by JECFA
    (a) Comments
    (b) Report of the Working Group on the Priority List
Other Business and Future Work
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by The Netherlands' Secretariat to the Meeting. 
Members of the public may access or request copies of these documents 
(see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the February 9, 2004 public meeting, the agenda items will be 
described, discussed, and attendees will have the opportunity to pose 
questions and offer comments. Comments may be sent to the FSIS Dock 
Room (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they relate to 
activities of the 36th CCFAC (docket <greek-i>03-047N).

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to better ensure 
that minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this 
notice, FSIS will announce it and make copies of this Federal Register 
publication available through the FSIS Constituent Update. FSIS 
provides a weekly Constituent Update, which is communicated via 
Listserv, a free e-mail subscription service. 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 
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/stakeholders. The 
constituent Listserv 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 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/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 29, 2004.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 04-2135 Filed 2-2-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-M


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