```

[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 10 (Thursday, January 16, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4717-4718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-01036]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

The U.S. Codex Office

Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Food Additives

AGENCY: U.S. Codex Office, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on 
February 18, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. eastern time (ET). The 
objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive 
public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions to be 
discussed at the 55th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives 
(CCFA) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which is scheduled to be 
held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from March 24-28, 2025. The U.S. 
Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Under Secretary for Trade and 
Foreign Agricultural Affairs recognize the importance of providing 
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on 
the 55th Session of the CCFA and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for February 18, 2025, from 9 
a.m. to 12 p.m. ET.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place in a hybrid format. The 
on-site location is Meeting Room 1A-001 and 1A-002 at the U.S. Food and 
Drug Administration, Harvey Wiley Federal Building, 5001 Campus Drive, 
College Park, MD 20740-3835. Documents related to the 55th Session of 
the CCFA will be accessible via the internet at the following address: 
https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius//detail/it/?meeting=CCFA&session=55.
    Dr. Daniel Folmer, U.S. Delegate to the 55th Session of the CCFA, 
invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically 
to the following email address: [email protected].
    Registration: In-person attendees may register to attend the public 
meeting at the following email address: [email protected]. Virtual 
attendees may register to attend the public meeting at the following 
link: https://fda.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItcOmgpj4iHgEoL7A3kCqQesR5F9ClcMQ. Both in-person and virtual 
attendees should register by February 14, 2025. After registering, you 
will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining 
the meeting. For further information about the public meeting, contact 
Dr. LaShonda Cureton, U.S. Alternate Delegate to the 55th Session of 
the CCFA, by phone at: +1 (240) 402-1351 or by email at: 
[email protected].
    For further information about the 55th session of the CCFA, contact 
U.S. Delegate, Dr. Daniel Folmer, by phone at: +1 (240) 402-1274 or by 
email at: [email protected], or U.S. Alternate Delegate, Dr. 
LaShonda Cureton, by phone at: +1 (240) 402-1351 or by email at: 
[email protected]. For additional information regarding the 
public meeting, contact the U.S. Codex Office by email at: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established in 1963 by two 
United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization 
(FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Through the 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 protect the health of consumers and ensure 
fair practices in the food trade.
    The Terms of Reference of the Codex Committee on Food Additives 
(CCFA) are:
    (a) to establish or endorse permitted maximum levels for individual 
food additives;
    (b) to prepare priority lists of food additives for risk assessment 
by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives;
    (c) to assign functional classes to individual food additives;
    (d) to recommend specifications of identity and purity for food 
additives for adoption by the Commission;
    (e) to consider methods of analysis for the determination of 
additives in food; and
    (f) to consider and elaborate standards or codes for related 
subjects such as the labelling of food additives when sold as such.
    The CCFA is hosted by China. The United States attends the CCFA as 
a member country of the Codex Alimentarius. The 55th session of the 
CCFA will be co-hosted by the Republic of Korea.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items from the Provisional Agenda for the 55th 
Session of the CCFA will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and 
other subsidiary bodies;
     Matters of Interest arising from FAO/WHO and from the 99th 
Meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives 
(JECFA);
     Proposed draft specifications for identity and purity of 
food additives arising from the 99th JECFA meeting;
     Endorsement and/or revision of maximum levels for food 
additives and processing aids in Codex standards;
     Alignment of the food additive provisions of commodity 
standards: Report of the Electronic Working Group (EWG) on Alignment;
     General Standard for Food Additives (GFSA): Report of the 
EWG on the GSFA;
     General Standard for Food Additives (GFSA): Proposals for 
new and/or revision of food additive provisions (replies to circular 
letter (CL) 2024/58-FA);
     Proposed draft revision to the Class Names and the 
International Numbering System for Food Additives (CXG 36-1989);
     Proposals for additions and changes to the Priority List 
of Substances proposed for evaluation by JECFA (replies to CL 2024/59-
FA);
     Standard for baker's yeast (Step 4);
     Discussion paper on the working practices and the 
engagement plan to avoid divergence between the GSFA, commodity 
standards and other related Codex texts;
     Other business and future work.

Public Meeting

    At the public meeting on February 18, 2025, the draft U.S. 
positions on the agenda items will be described and discussed, and 
attendees will have the opportunity to pose questions and offer 
comments. Written comments may be offered at the meeting or sent to Dr.

[[Page 4718]]

Daniel Folmer, U.S. Delegate to the 55th Session of the CCFA, at 
[email protected]. Written comments should state that they 
relate to activities of the 55th Session of the CCFA.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, the U.S. Codex Office will 
announce this Federal Register publication on-line through the USDA 
Codex web page located at: https://www.usda.gov/codex, a link that also 
offers an email subscription service providing access to information 
related to Codex. Customers can add or delete their subscriptions 
themselves and have the option to password protect their accounts.

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

    No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds 
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual 
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, 
income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs, 
exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to 
discrimination any person in the United States under any program or 
activity conducted by the USDA.

How To File a Complaint of Discrimination

    To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program 
Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at https://www.usda.gov/oascr/filing-program-discrimination-complaint-usda-customer, or write a letter signed by you or your authorized 
representative. Send your completed complaint form or letter to USDA by 
mail, fax, or email. Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, 
Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20250-9410; Fax: (202) 690-7442; Email: [email protected]. 
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact 
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

    Done at Washington, DC, on January 13, 2025.
Julie A. Chao,
Deputy U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2025-01036 Filed 1-15-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3420-3F-P
```