Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods

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), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a public meeting on March 8, 2007. 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 First Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Beijing, China, on April 16-20, 2007. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 1st Session of CCCF and to address items on the agenda.

DATES:

The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 8, 2007 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES:

The public meeting will be held in the auditorium (Room 1A003), Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building, FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 5100 Paint Branch Highway, College Park MD 20740. Documents related to the 1st Session of CCCF will be accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp .

The U.S. Delegate to the CCCF, Dr. Nega Beru, invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments electronically to the following e-mail address: nega.beru@fda.hhs.gov.

Registration: You may also register electronically to the same e-mail address above. Early registration is encouraged because it will expedite entry into the building and its parking area. If you require parking, please include the vehicle make and tag number, if known, when you register. Because the meeting will be held in a Federal building, you should also bring a photo identification (ID) and plan for adequate time to pass through security screening systems.

For Further Information About The 1st Session Of The CCCF Contact:

Nega Beru, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740, 301-436-1731, e-mail: nega.beru@fda.hhs.gov.

For Further Information About The Public Meeting Contact:

Ellen Matten, International Issues Analyst, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and Inspection Service , Room 4861, South building, 1400 Independence Ave SW., Washington, DC 20250. Phone (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 720-3157.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Codex Alimentarius (Codex) was established in 1963 by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. 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 that fair practices are used in trade.

The Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods was established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2006 when the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants was split. It was established to set or endorse permitted maximum levels or guideline levels for contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed; to prepare priority lists of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives; to consider methods of analysis and sampling for the determination of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed; to consider and elaborate standards or codes of practice for related subjects; and to consider other matters assigned to it by the Commission in relation to contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed. The Committee is hosted by the Netherlands.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

The following items on the Agenda for the 1st Session of the CCCF will be discussed during the public meeting:

• Matters Referred to the Committee from other Codex bodies.
• Matters of Interest arising from FAO/WHO.
• Endorsement/Revision of Maximum Levels for Contaminants in Codex Standards.
• Consideration of the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Foods.
• Proposed Draft Levels for Total Aflatoxins in Almonds, Hazelnuts and Pistachios “for further processing” and “ready-to-eat”.
• Proposed draft Sampling Plan for Aflatoxin contamination in Almonds, Brazil nuts, Hazelnuts and Pistachios.
• Discussion paper on Maximum Levels in “ready-to-eat” almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios.
• Discussion paper on Aflatoxin contamination in Brazil nuts.
• Discussion paper on Deoxynivalenol (DON).
• Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Ochratoxin A Contamination in Wine.
• Discussion paper on Ochratoxin A in Coffee.
• Discussion paper on Ochratoxin A in Cocoa.
• Discussion paper on Aflatoxins in dried figs.
• Proposed draft Maximum Levels for Tin in Canned Foods (other than beverages) and in Canned Beverages.
• Proposed draft Maximum Level for 3-MCPD in Liquid Condiments containing acid-HVP (excluding naturally fermented soya sauce).
• Proposed draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of Chloropropanols during the Production of acid-Hydrolysed Vegetable Proteins (HVPs) and Products that contain acid-HVPs.
• Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of Acrylamide in Food.
• Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of Contamination of foods with PAH from Smoking and Direct Drying.
• Priority List of Contaminants and Naturally Occurring Toxicants Proposed for Evaluation by JECFA.

Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, or to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the Meeting. Members of the public may access or request copies of these documents (see For Further Information About The 1st Session Of The Cccf Contact).

Public Meeting

At the March 8, 2007 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 the U.S. Delegate for CCCF, Dr. Nega Beru (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they relate to activities of the 1st Session of CCCF.

Additional Public Notification

Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this notice, FSIS will announce it on-line through the FSIS Web page located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2007_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 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, and other individuals who have asked to be included. The update is available on the FSIS Web page. Through the Listserv and Web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader and more diverse audience. In addition, FSIS offers an e-mail subscription service which provides automatic and customized access to selected food safety news and information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_and_events/email_subscription/. Options range from recalls to export information to regulations, directives and notices. Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves and have the option to password protect their account.