Codex Alimentarius Commission: 28th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, 31413-31414 [05-10876]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 104 / Wednesday, June 1, 2005 / Notices
Emergency Management, VS, APHIS,
4700 River Road Unit 41, Riverdale, MD
20737–1231; (301) 734–8073.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
purpose of the Secretary’s Advisory
Committee on Foreign Animal and
Poultry Diseases (the Committee) is to
advise the Secretary of Agriculture
regarding program operations and
measures to suppress, control, or
eradicate and outbreak of foot-andmouth disease, or other destructive
foreign animal or poultry diseases, in
the event these diseases should enter
the United States. The Committee also
advises the Secretary of Agriculture of
means to prevent these diseases.
Done in Washington, DC, this 25th day of
May 2005.
Michael James Harrison,
Assistant Secretary for Administration.
[FR Doc. E5–2768 Filed 5–31–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 05–022N]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: 28th
Session of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission
Office of the Under Secretary
for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and
request for comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Office of the Under
Secretary for Food Safety, U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) is
sponsoring a public meeting on June 9,
2005. The objective of the public
meeting is to provide information and
receive public comments on agenda
items and draft United States’ positions
that will be discussed at the 28th
Session of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission (CAC) to be held in Rome,
Italy, July 4–9, 2005. The Under
Secretary for Food Safety recognizes the
importance of providing interested
parties with the opportunity to obtain
background information on the 28th
Session of CAC and to address items on
the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled
for Thursday, June 9, 2005, from 1 p.m.
to 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be
held in Room 107A, Whitten Building,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC. The Codex documents
pertaining to the agenda items for the
28th CAC Session, are accessible via the
World Wide Web at the following
VerDate jul<14>2003
17:53 May 30, 2005
address: https://
www.codexalimentarius.net/
current.asp. To submit comments on
this notice, please send them, to the
FSIS Docket Clerk and reference Docket
#05–022N. All comments submitted in
response to this notice 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,
FSIS, Room 4861, South Agriculture
Building, 1400 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20250, Telephone
(202) 205–7760; Fax: (202) 720–3157;
Electronic mail:
ed.scarbrough@fsis.usda.gov. Persons
requiring a sign language interpreter or
other special accommodations should
notify Dr. Scarbrough at the above
number.
Jkt 205001
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 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. In
the United States, USDA, the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
manage and carry out U.S. Codex
activities.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public
Meeting
The Office of the Under Secretary for
Food Safety, U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is sponsoring a
public meeting on June 9, 2005. The
objective of the public meeting is to
provide information and receive public
comments on agenda items and draft
United States’ positions that will be
discussed at the 28th Session of the
Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)
to be held in Rome, Italy, July 4–9, 2005.
The Under Secretary for Food Safety
recognizes the importance of providing
interested parties with the opportunity
to obtain background information on the
28th Session of CAC and to address
items on the agenda. The following
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
31413
items from the Draft Provisional Agenda
for the 28th Session of the CAC will be
discussed at the public meeting:
(1) Procedural Matters
(A) Amendments to the Procedural Manual
(i) Amendments to the Rules of Procedure
(ii) Other amendments to the Procedural
Manual
(2) Codex Standards and Related Texts
(A) Draft Standards and Related Texts at
Step 8 of the Procedure (including those
submitted at Step 5 with a
recommendation to omit Steps 6 and 7
and those submitted at Step 5 of the
Accelerated Procedure)
(B) Proposed Draft Standards and Related
Texts at Step 5
(C) Withdrawal or Revocation of existing
Codex Standards and Related Texts
(D) Proposals for the Elaboration of new
Standards and Related Texts and for the
Discontinuation of Work
(3) Program and Budgetary Matters
(A) Financial and Budgetary Matters—
Proposed Budget 2006/2007
(B) Strategic Planning of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission
(C) Proposed Schedule of Codex Meetings
2005–2007
(4) Policy and General Matters
(A) Implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO
Evaluation of the Codex Alimentarius
and other FAO and WHO Work on Food
Standards (including the Review of
Codex Committee Structure and
Mandates of Codex Committees and Task
Forces)
(B) Matters arising from the Reports of
Codex Committees and Task Forces
(C) Relations between the Codex
Alimentarius Commission and other
International Organizations
(D) FAO/WHO Project and Trust Fund for
Enhanced Participation in Codex
(E) Other Matters arising from FAO and
WHO
(5) Elections and Appointments
(A) Appointment of Regional Coordinators
(B) Election of Chairperson and ViceChairpersons and Election of Members of
the Executive Committee
(C) Designation of Countries responsible
for Appointing the Chairpersons of
Codex Committees and Task Forces
These issues and draft United States’
positions on these issues will be
described and discussed, and attendees
will have the opportunity to pose
questions and offer comments.
Comments on the issues and draft
positions should be mailed or sent
electronically to the U.S. Codex
Manager (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT). Please state that your
comments relate to CAC activities and
specify which issues your comments
address.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of
rulemaking and policy development is
important. Consequently, in an effort to
ensure that the public and, in particular,
E:\FR\FM\01JNN1.SGM
01JNN1
31414
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 104 / Wednesday, June 1, 2005 / Notices
minorities, women, and persons with
disabilities are aware of this notice,
FSIS will announce it on-line through
the FSIS web page located at https://
www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/
2005_Notices_Index/.
FSIS also will make copies of this
Federal Register publication available
through the FSIS Constituent Update,
which is used to provide information
regarding FSIS policies, procedures,
regulations, Federal Register notices,
FSIS public meetings, recalls, and other
types of information that could affect or
would be of interest to our constituents
and stakeholders. The update is
communicated via Listserv, a free
electronic mail subscription service for
industry, trade, and farm groups,
consumer interest groups, allied health
professionals, scientific professionals,
and other individuals who have
requested to be included. The update is
available on the FSIS web page.
Through Listserv and the web page,
FSIS is able to provide information to a
much broader, more diverse audience.
In addition, FSIS offers an electronic
mail subscription service which
provides an automatic and customized
notification when popular pages are
updated, including Federal Register
publications and related documents.
This service is available at https://
www.fsis.usda.gov/news_and_events/
email_subscription/ and allows FSIS
customers to sign up for subscription
options across eight categories. Options
range from recalls to export information
to regulations, directives, and notices.
Customers can add or delete
subscriptions themselves and have the
option to protect their accounts with
passwords.
Done at Washington, DC, on May 26, 2005.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 05–10876 Filed 5–31–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 05–017N]
Availability of Question and Answer
Documents
Food Safety and Inspection
Service.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Food Safety and
Inspection Service is announcing the
availability of two question and answer
(Q&A) documents concerning FSIS
Directives 5000.2 (‘‘Review of
VerDate jul<14>2003
17:53 May 30, 2005
Jkt 205001
Establishment Data by Inspection
Program Personnel’’), 6420.2
(‘‘Verification of Procedures for
controlling Fecal Material, Ingesta, and
Milk in Slaughter Operations’’), and
10,010.1, Revision 1 (‘‘Microbiological
Testing Program and Other Verification
Activities for Escherichia coli O157:H7
in Raw Ground Beef Products and Raw
Ground Beef Components and Beef
Patty Components’’) (see ADDRESSES).
The Agency is announcing the
availability of these documents now
because they contain information about
Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7,
which is particularly relevant at this
time because the United States is in the
seasonal period when the prevalence of
E. coli O157:H7 may be higher than
during other times of the year.
ADDRESSES: The Q&A documents are
available in Room 102, Cotton Annex,
300 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC
20250–3700, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday. They are
also available on the Internet at https://
www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/
fsisdirectives/10010_1/Ecoli_QA.pdf
and https://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/
rdad/fsisdirectives/10010_1/
Directives_Q&A.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rachel Edelstein, Regulations and
Petitions Policy Staff, Food Safety and
Inspection Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture (202) 720–5627.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Significance of E. Coli O157:H7 and
FSIS’ Actions To Address the Pathogen
Exposure to E. coli O157:H7 has been
linked to serious, life-threatening
human illnesses (hemorrhagic colitis
and hemolytic uremic syndrome). In the
United States, outbreaks of human
illnesses caused by foodborne E. coli
O157:H7 infection have often been
linked to ground beef.
FSIS administers a regulatory program
under the Federal Meat Inspection Act
(FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) to protect
the health and welfare of consumers by
preventing the distribution of meat
products that are unwholesome,
adulterated, or misbranded.
In 1994, FSIS notified the public that
raw ground beef products contaminated
with E. coli O157:H7 are adulterated
within the meaning of the FMIA (21
U.S.C. 601(m)(1)), unless the ground
beef is further processed to destroy this
pathogen. On January 19, 1999, FSIS
published a policy statement in the
Federal Register that explained that, if
non-intact beef products (e.g., beef that
has been mechanically tenderized by
needling or cubing) or intact cuts of
muscle that are to be further processed
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
into non-intact product prior to
distribution for consumption are found
to be contaminated with E. coli
O157:H7, they must be processed into
ready-to-eat product, or they would be
deemed to be adulterated (64 FR 2803).
In the October 7, 2002, Federal
Register, FSIS informed the public that
E. coli O157:H7 prevalence may be
higher in April through September than
during other times of the year, based on
several studies and establishment
testing data (67 FR 62332).
Availability of Qs&As
FSIS is making available two
documents that include Qs&As
concerning FSIS Directives 5000.2,
6420.2, and 10,010.1, Revision 1. The
Qs&As address concerns that were
raised by interested parties at public
meetings conducted by FSIS in 2004. At
those meetings, FSIS presented
information on these directives to the
public, particularly small and very
small plants. The Qs&As regarding
Directive 10,010.1, Revision 1, provide
information on establishment
verification testing for E. coli O157:H7,
establishment controls for E. coli
O157:H7, and establishment
responsibilities in the event that the
establishment finds raw beef product
positive for the pathogen or positive in
a screening test for the pathogen.
The information concerning E. coli
O157:H7 is particularly relevant at this
time because the United States is in the
seasonal period when the prevalence of
this pathogen may be higher than during
other times of the year. Based on
information from the Qs&As,
establishments may decide to take
actions to improve their E. coli O157:H7
verification testing programs or their
controls to address the pathogen.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of
rulemaking and policy development is
important. Consequently, in an effort to
ensure that the public and in particular
minorities, women, and persons with
disabilities, are aware of this notice,
FSIS will announce it on-line through
the FSIS web page located at https://
www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/
2005_Notices_Index/index.asp.
FSIS also will make copies of this
Federal Register publication available
through the FSIS Constituent Update,
which is used to provide information
regarding FSIS policies, procedures,
regulations, Federal Register notices,
FSIS public meetings, recalls, and other
types of information that could affect or
would be of interest to our constituents
and stakeholders. The update is
communicated via Listserv, a free e-mail
E:\FR\FM\01JNN1.SGM
01JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 104 (Wednesday, June 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31413-31414]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10876]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 05-022N]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: 28th Session of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) is sponsoring a public meeting on June
9, 2005. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information
and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States'
positions that will be discussed at the 28th Session of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (CAC) to be held in Rome, Italy, July 4-9,
2005. The Under Secretary for Food Safety recognizes the importance of
providing interested parties with the opportunity to obtain background
information on the 28th Session of CAC and to address items on the
agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 9, 2005, from
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 107A, Whitten
Building, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC. The Codex documents pertaining to the agenda items
for the 28th CAC Session, are accessible via the World Wide Web at the
following address: https://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp. To
submit comments on this notice, please send them, to the FSIS Docket
Clerk and reference Docket 05-022N. All comments submitted in
response to this notice 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, FSIS, Room 4861, South
Agriculture Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC
20250, Telephone (202) 205-7760; Fax: (202) 720-3157; Electronic mail:
ed.scarbrough@fsis.usda.gov. Persons requiring a sign language
interpreter or other special accommodations should notify Dr.
Scarbrough at the above number.
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
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. In the
United States, USDA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manage and carry out U.S. Codex
activities.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) is sponsoring a public meeting on June 9, 2005.
The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and
receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States'
positions that will be discussed at the 28th Session of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (CAC) to be held in Rome, Italy, July 4-9,
2005. The Under Secretary for Food Safety recognizes the importance of
providing interested parties with the opportunity to obtain background
information on the 28th Session of CAC and to address items on the
agenda. The following items from the Draft Provisional Agenda for the
28th Session of the CAC will be discussed at the public meeting:
(1) Procedural Matters
(A) Amendments to the Procedural Manual
(i) Amendments to the Rules of Procedure
(ii) Other amendments to the Procedural Manual
(2) Codex Standards and Related Texts
(A) Draft Standards and Related Texts at Step 8 of the Procedure
(including those submitted at Step 5 with a recommendation to omit
Steps 6 and 7 and those submitted at Step 5 of the Accelerated
Procedure)
(B) Proposed Draft Standards and Related Texts at Step 5
(C) Withdrawal or Revocation of existing Codex Standards and
Related Texts
(D) Proposals for the Elaboration of new Standards and Related
Texts and for the Discontinuation of Work
(3) Program and Budgetary Matters
(A) Financial and Budgetary Matters--Proposed Budget 2006/2007
(B) Strategic Planning of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
(C) Proposed Schedule of Codex Meetings 2005-2007
(4) Policy and General Matters
(A) Implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Evaluation of the Codex
Alimentarius and other FAO and WHO Work on Food Standards (including
the Review of Codex Committee Structure and Mandates of Codex
Committees and Task Forces)
(B) Matters arising from the Reports of Codex Committees and
Task Forces
(C) Relations between the Codex Alimentarius Commission and
other International Organizations
(D) FAO/WHO Project and Trust Fund for Enhanced Participation in
Codex
(E) Other Matters arising from FAO and WHO
(5) Elections and Appointments
(A) Appointment of Regional Coordinators
(B) Election of Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons and Election
of Members of the Executive Committee
(C) Designation of Countries responsible for Appointing the
Chairpersons of Codex Committees and Task Forces
These issues and draft United States' positions on these issues
will be described and discussed, and attendees will have the
opportunity to pose questions and offer comments. Comments on the
issues and draft positions should be mailed or sent electronically to
the U.S. Codex Manager (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Please
state that your comments relate to CAC activities and specify which
issues your comments address.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that the
public and, in particular,
[[Page 31414]]
minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this
notice, FSIS will announce it on-line through the FSIS web page located
at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2005_Notices_Index/.
FSIS also will make copies of this Federal Register publication
available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, recalls, and other types of
information that could affect or would be of interest to our
constituents and stakeholders. The update is communicated via Listserv,
a free electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade, and
farm groups, consumer interest groups, allied health professionals,
scientific professionals, and other individuals who have requested to
be included. The update is available on the FSIS web page. Through
Listserv and the web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a
much broader, more diverse audience.
In addition, FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription service
which provides an automatic and customized notification when popular
pages are updated, including Federal Register publications and related
documents. This service is available at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_
and_events/email_subscription/ and allows FSIS customers to sign up
for subscription options across eight categories. Options range from
recalls to export information to regulations, directives, and notices.
Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves and have the
option to protect their accounts with passwords.
Done at Washington, DC, on May 26, 2005.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 05-10876 Filed 5-31-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P
