2024-02657. Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods

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 March 21, 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 17th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). CCCF17 will be held in Panama City, Panama from April 15–19, 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 17th Session of the CCCF and to address items on the agenda.

DATES:

The public meeting is scheduled for March 21, 2024, from 1 to 3 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES:

The public meeting will take place via Video Teleconference only. Documents related to the 17th Session of the CCCF will be accessible via the internet at the following address: https://www.fao.org/​fao-who-codexalimentarius/​meetings/​detail/​it/​?meeting=​CCCF&​session=​17.

Dr. Lauren Posnick Robin, U.S. Delegate to the 17th Session of the CCCF, invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically to the following email address: Quynh-Anh Nguyen, [e-mail]. Emailed comments should state in the title that they relate to activities of the 17th Session of the CCCF.

Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting here: https://www.zoomgov.com/​meeting/​register/​vJIsdOmsrjgpGbqn89rYPIXUAWJawQCq39Y. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

For further information about the 17th Session of the CCCF, contact U.S. Delegate, Dr. Lauren Posnick Robin, Chief, Plant Products Branch, in the Division of Plant Products and Beverages, Office of Food Safety, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, at [e-mail]. For additional information regarding the public meeting, contact the U.S. Codex Office by email at: [e-mail] or Quynh-Anh Nguyen, [e-mail].

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 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 Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) are:

(a) to establish or endorse permitted maximum levels or guidelines levels for contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed;

(b) to prepare priority lists of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives;

(c) to consider methods of analysis and sampling for the determination of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed;

(d) to consider and elaborate standards or codes of practice for related subjects; and

(e) to consider other matters assigned to it by the Commission in relation to contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed.

The Netherlands hosts the CCCF and is co-hosting the 17th Session of the CCCF with Panama. The United States attends the CCCF as a member country of Codex.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

The following items from the forthcoming Agenda for the 17th Session of the CCCF will be discussed during the public meeting:

• Matters referred to the Committee by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and/or its subsidiary bodies
• Matters of interest arising from FAO and WHO (including the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives)
• Matters of interest arising from other international organizations
• Maximum levels for lead in certain food categories
• Sampling plans for methylmercury in fish
• Definition for ready-to-eat peanuts for the establishment of a maximum level for total aflatoxins in this product
• Sampling plans for total aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in certain spices
• Code of practice/guidelines for the prevention and reduction of ciguatera poisoning
• Discussion Papers on the following materials:

○ Pyrrolizidine alkaloids

○ Tropane alkaloids

○ Acrylamide in foods

○ Cadmium and lead in quinoa

○ Review of the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in Peanuts (CXC 55–2004)

• Review of the Code of Practice for the Reduction of Aflatoxin B1 in Raw Materials and Supplemental Feedingstuffs for Milk-Producing Animals (CXC 45–1997)

• Development of a Code of practice for the prevention and reduction of cadmium contamination in foods
• Guidance on data analysis for development of maximum levels and for improved data collection
• Review of Codex standards for contaminants
• Follow-up work to the outcomes of JECFA evaluations and FAO/WHO expert consultations
• Priority list of contaminants for evaluation by JECFA
• Foresight on emerging issues in food and feed safety relevant to contaminants
• Other business and future work

Public Meeting

At the March 21, 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 Quynh-Anh Nguyen, at [e-mail]. Written comments should state that they relate to activities of the 17th Session of the CCCF.

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: http://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: [phone]; Email: [e-mail]. 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 February 5, 2024.

Mary Frances Lowe,

U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.