Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene, 89362-89363 [2023-28533]

Download as PDF 89362 Notices Federal Register Vol. 88, No. 247 Wednesday, December 27, 2023 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. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service [Docket No. APHIS–2023–0022] Movement of Organisms Modified or Produced Through Genetic Engineering; Notice of Proposed Exemptions; Reopening of Comment Period Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Reopening of comment period. AGENCY: We are reopening the comment period for our notice that proposes to add five new types of genetic modifications a plant can contain and be exempt from the regulations for the movement of organisms modified or produced through genetic engineering because such modifications could otherwise be achieved through conventional breeding methods. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments. DATES: The comment period for the notice published on November 15, 2023 (88 FR 78285–78291) is reopened. We will consider all comments that we receive on or before January 19, 2024. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS– 2023–0022 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab, then select the Comment button in the list of documents. • Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS–2023–0022, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at Regulations.gov or in ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1 SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:00 Dec 26, 2023 Jkt 262001 our reading room, which is located in room 1620 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call (202) 799–7039 before coming. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Neil Hoffman, Science Advisor, Biotechnology Regulatory Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 98, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238; Neil.E.Hoffman@usda.gov; (301) 851– 3947. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 15, 2023, we published in the Federal Register (88 FR 78285– 78291, Docket No. APHIS–2023–0022) a proposal that would add five new types of genetic modifications a plant can contain and be exempt from the regulations for the movement of organisms modified or produced through genetic engineering because such modifications could otherwise be achieved through conventional breeding methods. Comments on the notice were required to be received on or before December 15, 2023. We are reopening the comment period on Docket No. APHIS–2023–0022 until January 19, 2024. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments. We will also consider all comments received between December 16, 2023 (the day after the close of the original comment period) and the date of this notice. Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7701–7772 and 7781–7786; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3. Done in Washington, DC, this 21st day of December 2023. Michael Watson, Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR Doc. 2023–28545 Filed 12–26–23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–34–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE U.S. Codex Office Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene AGENCY: PO 00000 U.S. Codex Office, USDA. Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Notice of public meeting and request for comments. ACTION: The U.S. Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on February 5, 2024. 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 54th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). CCFH54 will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from March 11– March 15, 2024. 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 54th Session of the CCFH and to address items on the agenda. SUMMARY: The public meeting is scheduled for February 5, 2024, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. EST. DATES: The public meeting will take place via Video Teleconference only. Documents related to the 54th Session of the CCFH will be accessible via the internet at the following address: https://www.fao.org/fao-whocodexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/ ?meeting=CCFH&session=54. Dr. Benjamin Warren, U.S. Delegate to the 54th Session of the CCFH, invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically to the following email address: benjamin.warren@fda.hhs.gov. Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/ register/vJItc-6qqzMuH510Gf6u Xw7xtk9Jq-9tGis#/registration. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. For further information about the 54th Session of the CCFH, contact U.S. Delegate, Dr. Benjamin Warren, Senior Science Advisor for Food Safety, Office of Food Safety, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, benjamin.warren@ fda.hhs.gov, 1–240–645–7004. For an additional information regarding the public meeting, contact the U.S. Codex Office by email at: uscodex@usda.gov. ADDRESSES: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: E:\FR\FM\27DEN1.SGM 27DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 27, 2023 / Notices ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1 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 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 Hygiene (CCFH) are: (a) to draft basic provisions on food hygiene applicable to all food; (b) to consider, amend if necessary and endorse provisions on hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and contained in Codex commodity standards, and (c) to consider, amend if necessary, and endorse provisions on hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and contained in Codex codes of practice unless, in specific cases, the Commission has decided otherwise, or (d) to draft provisions on hygiene applicable to specific food items or food groups, whether coming within the terms of reference of a Codex commodity committee or not; (e) to consider specific hygiene problems assigned to it by the Commission; (f) to suggest and prioritize areas where there is a need for microbiological risk assessment at the international level and to develop questions to be addressed by the risk assessors; and, (g) to consider microbiological risk management matters in relation to food hygiene and in relation to the risk assessment of FAO and WHO. (h) (The term ‘‘hygiene’’ includes, where necessary, microbiological specifications for food and associated methodology.) The CCFH is hosted by the United States, and the 54th Session of the CCFH will be co-hosted with Kenya. Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting The following items from the forthcoming Agenda for the 54th Session of the CCFH will be discussed during the public meeting: • Matters referred to the Committee by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and/or its subsidiary bodies • Matters arising from the work of FAO and WHO (including the FAO/ VerDate Sep<11>2014 21:00 Dec 26, 2023 Jkt 262001 • • Æ Æ • • • • • • WHO Joint Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessments (JEMRA) Information from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) Guidelines for the Control of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in Raw Beef, Fresh Leafy Vegetables, Raw Milk and Raw Milk Cheeses, and Sprouts Proposed draft Annex II on Fresh Leafy Vegetables at Step 4 Proposed draft Annex IV on Sprouts at Step 4 Guidelines for the Safe Use and Reuse of Water in Food Production (Annex II on Fishery Products at Step 4 and Annex III on Dairy Products at Step 4 • Proposed draft revision on the Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Pathogenic Vibrio Species in Seafood (CXG 73–2010) at Step 4 • Proposed draft Guidelines for Food Hygiene Control Measures in Traditional Markets for Food at Step 4 Alignment of Codex texts developed by CCFH with the revised General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1– 1969) Revision of the Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Viruses in Food (CXG 79–2012) Discussion paper on the Revision of Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter and Salmonella in Chicken Meat (CXG 78–2011) Discussion paper on the revision of Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Foods (CXG 61– 2007) Other business and future work Æ New work/Forward workplan (Proposals in reply to CL 2023/30– FH) Public Meeting At the February 5, 2024, public meeting, 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. Benjamin Warren, U.S. Delegate to the 54th Session of the CCFH, at benjamin.warren@fda.hhs.gov. Written comments should state that they relate to activities of the 54th Session of the CCFH. PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 89363 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-programdiscrimination-complaint-usdacustomer, 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: program.intake@usda.gov. 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 December 21, 2023. Julie Chao, Deputy U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius. [FR Doc. 2023–28533 Filed 12–26–23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE P COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS Notice of Public Meetings of the New Mexico Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights AGENCY: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. E:\FR\FM\27DEN1.SGM 27DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89362-89363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28533]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. Codex Office


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

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 5, 2024. 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 54th Session of the Codex Committee on 
Food Hygiene (CCFH) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). CCFH54 
will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from March 11-March 15, 2024. 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 54th Session of the CCFH and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for February 5, 2024, from 2:00-
4:00 p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via Video Teleconference 
only. Documents related to the 54th Session of the CCFH will be 
accessible via the internet at the following address: https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCFH&session=54.
    Dr. Benjamin Warren, U.S. Delegate to the 54th Session of the CCFH, 
invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically 
to the following email address: [email protected].
    Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting 
here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItc-6qqzMuH510Gf6uXw7xtk9Jq-9tGis#/registration. After registering, you 
will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining 
the meeting.
    For further information about the 54th Session of the CCFH, contact 
U.S. Delegate, Dr. Benjamin Warren, Senior Science Advisor for Food 
Safety, Office of Food Safety, Center for Food Safety and Applied 
Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 
[email protected], 1-240-645-7004. For an additional 
information regarding the public meeting, contact the U.S. Codex Office 
by email at: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 89363]]

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 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 Hygiene 
(CCFH) are:
    (a) to draft basic provisions on food hygiene applicable to all 
food;
    (b) to consider, amend if necessary and endorse provisions on 
hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and contained in Codex 
commodity standards, and
    (c) to consider, amend if necessary, and endorse provisions on 
hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and contained in Codex 
codes of practice unless, in specific cases, the Commission has decided 
otherwise, or
    (d) to draft provisions on hygiene applicable to specific food 
items or food groups, whether coming within the terms of reference of a 
Codex commodity committee or not;
    (e) to consider specific hygiene problems assigned to it by the 
Commission;
    (f) to suggest and prioritize areas where there is a need for 
microbiological risk assessment at the international level and to 
develop questions to be addressed by the risk assessors; and,
    (g) to consider microbiological risk management matters in relation 
to food hygiene and in relation to the risk assessment of FAO and WHO.
    (h) (The term ``hygiene'' includes, where necessary, 
microbiological specifications for food and associated methodology.)
    The CCFH is hosted by the United States, and the 54th Session of 
the CCFH will be co-hosted with Kenya.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items from the forthcoming Agenda for the 54th 
Session of the CCFH will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Matters referred to the Committee by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission and/or its subsidiary bodies
 Matters arising from the work of FAO and WHO (including the 
FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessments 
(JEMRA)
 Information from the World Organization for Animal Health 
(WOAH)
 Guidelines for the Control of Shiga Toxin-Producing 
Escherichia coli (STEC) in Raw Beef, Fresh Leafy Vegetables, Raw Milk 
and Raw Milk Cheeses, and Sprouts
[cir] Proposed draft Annex II on Fresh Leafy Vegetables at Step 4
[cir] Proposed draft Annex IV on Sprouts at Step 4
 Guidelines for the Safe Use and Reuse of Water in Food 
Production (Annex II on Fishery Products at Step 4 and Annex III on 
Dairy Products at Step 4
     Proposed draft revision on the Guidelines on the 
Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of 
Pathogenic Vibrio Species in Seafood (CXG 73-2010) at Step 4
     Proposed draft Guidelines for Food Hygiene Control 
Measures in Traditional Markets for Food at Step 4
 Alignment of Codex texts developed by CCFH with the revised 
General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969)
 Revision of the Guidelines on the Application of General 
Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Viruses in Food (CXG 79-
2012)
 Discussion paper on the Revision of Guidelines for the Control 
of Campylobacter and Salmonella in Chicken Meat (CXG 78-2011)
 Discussion paper on the revision of Guidelines on the 
Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of 
Listeria monocytogenes in Foods (CXG 61-2007)
 Other business and future work
    [cir] New work/Forward workplan (Proposals in reply to CL 2023/30-
FH)

Public Meeting

    At the February 5, 2024, public meeting, 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. Benjamin Warren, 
U.S. Delegate to the 54th Session of the CCFH, at 
[email protected]. Written comments should state that they 
relate to activities of the 54th Session of the CCFH.

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 December 21, 2023.
Julie Chao,
Deputy U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2023-28533 Filed 12-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
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