[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 110 (Thursday, June 7, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30682-30683]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-14473]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
appearing in this section.

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Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 110 / Thursday, June 7, 2001 / 
Notices

[[Page 30682]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 01-017N]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: 24th Session of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission (Codex)

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting, request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), is sponsoring a public meeting on 
June 6th, 2001.\1\ The purpose of this meeting is to provide 
information and receive public comments on agenda items that will be 
discussed at the Twenty-fourth Session of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission, which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from July 2-7, 
2001. The Under Secretary recognizes the importance of providing 
interested parties with information about the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission.
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    \1\ FSIS is filing this notice for immediate public inspection 
on June 5, 2001 because FSIS was not able to publish notification in 
advance of this public meeting in the Federal Register due to late 
changes to the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for June 6, 2001, from 1 p.m. to 
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4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Franklin-Adams Room 
at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, Washington, DC. 20005. 
To review copies of the documents referenced in this notice, contact 
the Food Safety and Inspection Service Docket Room, 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/cac24/docliste.htm. Submit 
one original and two copies of written comments to the FSIS Docket Room 
at the address above and reference docket number 01-017N. All comments 
submitted in response to this notice will be available for public 
inspection in the FSIS Docket Room 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 Alimentarius, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and 
Inspection Service, Room 4861, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue 
SW, Washington, DC 20250; 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 encouraging fair international 
trade in food and protecting the health and economic interests of 
consumers. 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. Codex meets biennially. The Executive Committee 
serves as the executive body of Codex between the biennial meetings.
    The provisional agenda items and the relevant documents to be 
discussed during the public meeting are:
    1. Election of Officers of the Commission and appointment of 
Regional Coordinators, Document ALINORM 01/2
    2. Report by the Chairperson on the Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth 
Sessions of the Executive Committee, Documents ALINORM 01/3 and ALINORM 
01/4
    3. Report on the financial situation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food 
Standards Programme for 2000/01 and 2002/03, Document ALINORM 01/5
    4. Report by the Secretariat on relations between the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission and, (a) Other international intergovernmental 
organizations Part I, (b) International non-governmental organizations 
Part II, Document ALINORM 01/8
    5. Consideration of matters arising from FAO and WHO Conferences 
and Governing Bodies, Document ALINORM 01/7
    6. Consideration of the Draft Strategic Framework, Proposed Draft 
Medium Term Plan 2003-2007 and Chairperson's Action Plan, Document 
ALINORM 01/6
    7. Risk analysis policies of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, 
Document ALINORM 01/9
    8. Consideration of proposed amendments to the Procedural Manual of 
the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Document ALINORM 01/10
    9. Consideration of Codex standards and related texts, (a) Draft 
standards and related texts at Step 8 or equivalent Part I, (b) 
Proposed draft standards and related texts at Step 5 Part II, (c) 
Proposals to elaborate new standards and/or related texts Part III, 
Document ALINORM 01/21
    10. Matters arising from reports of Codex Committees and Task 
Forces Part IV, Document ALINORM 01/21
    11. Codex Committees and ad hoc Task Forces, (a) Designation of 
Host Governments Part I, (b) Proposed schedule of Codex Sessions 2002-
2003, Document ALINORM 01/16

Public Meeting

    At the June 6th public meeting, the agenda items will be described 
and discussed, and attendees will hear brief descriptions of the issues 
and will have the opportunity to pose questions and offer comments.

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 provide copies of this Federal 
Register publication in the FSIS Constituent Update. FSIS provides a 
weekly FSIS Constituent Update, which is communicated via fax to over 
300 organizations and individuals. 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

[[Page 30683]]

be of interest to our constituents/stakeholders. The constituent fax 
list 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 these 
various channels, FSIS is able to provide information to a much 
broader, more diverse audience. For more information and to be added to 
the constituent fax list, fax your request to the Congressional and 
Public Affairs Office, at (202) 720-5704.

    Done at Washington, DC on May 24, 2001.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 01-14473 Filed 6-5-01; 1:59 pm]
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