The U.S. delegate to the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses has issued a report of the 30th session, which met November 3-7, 2008 in Cape Town, South Africa.
You may view a copy of the report here.
Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses - Delegate Report
US Public Meeting on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems
The US Codex Office announced a public meeting to discuss agenda items coming before the 17th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Committee (CAC) on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS), to be held in Cebu, Philippines Nov. 24 - 28, 2008.
The public meeting will be held on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the South Agriculture Building, Room 0161, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C.
Agenda items to be discussed during the public meeting will include general matters referred to the committee by the Codex bodies. These include the proposed draft "Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of Foreign On-Site Audits and Inspections," the proposed draft "Generic Model Health Certificate," the annex to the "Guidelines for Design, Production, Insurance and Use of Generic Official Certificates." Also on the agenda are discussion papers on the need for guidance for national food inspection systems, the need for further guidance on traceability and product tracing and the development of guidance on the prevention of international contamination of food. Other business and future work will be discussed as well. Documents and agenda items related to the 17th Session of the CCFICS are available at the Codex Web site at www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
For further information concerning the 17th Session of the CCFICS, contact Mary Stanley, the U.S. Delegate to the CCFICS, by phone at (202) 720-0287 or by e-mail at Mary.Stanley@fsis.usda.gov. Individuals are invited to submit their comments electronically to the following e-mail address: Michael.Wehr@fda.hhs.gov.
For further information about the public meeting, contact Edith Kennard, Staff Officer, U.S. Codex Office, FSIS, by phone at (202) 720-5261 or by e-mail at Edith.Kennard@fsis.usda.gov.
US Public Meeting on the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene
A public meeting that has been scheduled for October 30 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm in Room 1A001 of the Wiley Building, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD, 20740. The meeting is to discuss the draft U.S. positions for the 40th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene. If you are interested in attending the public meeting, please pre-register by providing your name and affiliation to Ms. Tiffany Paulsin at Tiffany.Paulsin@fda.hhs.gov or 301-436-2380. The Wiley Building is directly across the street from the College Park Station on Metro’s Green Line. Visitor parking is available, but you should indicate you will be driving when you pre-register.
Codex Committee on Food Hygiene Meeting
The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene will meet December 1-5, 2008, at the Marriott Hotel in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The agenda for the 40th Session and documents, as they become available, can be downloaded from the Codex website: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp?lang=en. Items on the agenda include the following:
- Matters Referred to the Committee on Food Hygiene from the Other Codex Bodies.
Progress Report on the Joint FAO/WHO Expert meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) and Related Matters. - Information from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
- Microbiological Criteria for Powdered Follow-up Formula and Formulas for Special Medical Purposes for Young Children (Annex to the Code of Hygienic Practice for Powdered Formulae for Infants and Young Children).
- Proposed Draft Microbiological Criteria for Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Foods.
- Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter and Salmonella spp. in Chicken Meat.
- Proposed Draft Annex on Leafy Green Vegetables including Leafy Herbs to the Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits & Vegetables.
- Proposed Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Vibrio spp. in Seafood.
Discussion of the New Work Proposals submitted to the Ad Hoc Working Group for Establishment of CCFH Work Priorities
Available documents can also be found on the U.S. Codex Office website: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Codex_Committee_Food_Hygiene/index.asp.
The U.S. Codex office invites your comments on the documents that will be considered during the 40th Session. You can contribute to the development of U.S. country comments in two ways. If you would like to participate in drafting U.S. comments on a particular agenda item, please email Rebecca Buckner (address below) as soon as possible regarding which items you are interested in working on and a conference call will be arranged with the agenda item leaders to discuss developing comments. Otherwise, please provide written comments on agenda items preferably by October 24, though we will accept them through November 14. Please provide your comments by FAX or email to:
Rebecca Buckner
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
5100 Paint Branch Parkway, HFS-316
College Park, MD, 20740
Phone (301) 436-1486; FAX (301) 436-2668
Email: Rebecca.Buckner@fda.hhs.gov
Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses
The next Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) session will be held in South Africa from November 3 to 7, 2008. In addition, a working group will meet on November 1 to discuss agenda items on the Scientific Basis of Health Claims, Nutrient Reference Values, and any other matters related to the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health which are under consideration by the CCNFSDU. The agenda for the upcoming session will be posted at the following web address, along with reference documents on each agenda item as they become available: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp?lang=en.
CCNFSDU documents for certain agenda items are also available on the U.S. Codex Office Web site at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Codex_Committee_Nutrition/index.asp.
A Codex circular letter recently requested comments on the draft nutritional risk analysis principles and guidelines. U.S. interested parties are invited to submit comments to the CCNFSDU U.S. delegate for consideration in preparing U.S. comments by September 2, 2008. The mail-box for submission of these comments is CCNFSDU@fda.hhs.gov.
In addition, USDA and FDA are sponsoring a public meeting on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on the agenda items that will be discussed at the next CCNFSDU session and on draft U.S. positions. The public meeting will be held in the Auditorium (1A003), Food and Drug Administration, Harvey Wiley Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740. To gain admittance to this meeting, individuals are required to pre-register by sending -Your Name - Organization - Mailing address - Phone number - E-mail address to this e-mail address (nancy.crane@fda.hhs.gov ) by September 17, 2008.
Codex General Standard for Food Additives
The updated version of the "Codex General Standard for Food Additives" (GSFA) Online, incorporating the outcome of the 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, is now available on Codex website in English, French, Spanish and Chinese (new).
La version mise à jour du GSFA Online, incluant les résultats de la trente-et-unième réunion de la Commission du Codex Alimentarius, est maintenant disponible sur le site web du Codex en anglais, français, espagnol et chinois (nouveau).
La versión actualizada de GSFA Online, que incluye los resultados de la 31a reunión de la Comisión del Codex Alimentarius, está ahora disponible en el sito web del Codex en inglés, francés, español y chino (novedad)
English: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/gsfaonline/index.html?lang=en
français: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/gsfaonline/index.html?lang=fr
español: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/gsfaonline/index.html?lang=es
Chinese: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/gsfaonline/index.html?lang=zh
International Portal on Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health
The International Portal on Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health (IPFSAPH) announced the launch of its new website, which has been extensively redesigned to incorporate new functionality and make it easier for users to search for official SPS Agreement related information. Although the website address remains the same (www.ipfsaph.org), additional functionality includes RSS newsfeeds on particular topics and a more intuitive and easier to use advanced search option. With over 35,000 records, new data sets recently incorporated into www.ipfsaph.org include WTO's SPS Information Management System (containing all WTO trade notifications and concerns) and IAEA's Clearance of Irradiated Foods Database.
Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables 15-19 September
Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables
24th Session, Washington, D.C., USA, 15-19 September 2008
The provisional agenda and working documents for this and all other upcoming Codex meetings are available from the following meetings page: www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp
U.S. Codex Meeting: Processed Fruits and Vegetables
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Karen Hulebak Elected Chair of CODEX Alimentarius Commission
U.S. Department Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced that Dr. Karen Hulebak, a chief scientist for USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), has been elected to serve a two-year term as Chair of the prestigious Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), the international food standards organization. The announcement was made on July 1 in Geneva, Switzerland, during the 31st Session of the CAC.
"We are pleased that Dr. Hulebak was elected to this important position," said USDA Secretary Ed Schafer. "With a distinguished career in food science and food safety and a long association with Codex, I cannot think of a better choice to lead the organization."
Prior to her election as Chair, Dr. Hulebak served as the organization's Vice Chair and Chair of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene - both positions in which she gained respect for her ability to build consensus throughout the world on important food standard issues.
"Dr. Hulebak's inclusive approach to leadership, coupled with an outstanding background in food safety make her an excellent choice and an excellent leader for Codex," said Dr. Raymond. "I have the pleasure of working with Dr. Hulebak on Codex issues, and I am certain that under her leadership, the Commission will continue its commitment to science-based decision-making and standard-setting."
Codex adopts 35 international food standards
Laura Crowley, FoodProductiondaily.com (08-Jul-2008)
Thirty-five new international food standards were adopted during last week's 31st session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, including guidelines on the use of flavourings and gluten-free products. For complete article, click here.
US Codex Public Meetings
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http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Public_Meetings/index.asp
US Meeting April 25 to Discuss Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
USDA’s Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety and the Agricultural Marketing Service announced a public meeting to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions that will be discussed at the 14th Session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), to be held in Mexico City, Mexico, on May 12-17, 2008.
The public meeting is scheduled for Friday, April 25, 2008, at 10 a.m., in Room 2068, South Agricultural Building, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. Pre-registration is encouraged to expedite entry in the building. Attendees must present photo identification at the door to gain admittance to the building.
Agenda items and documents related to the 14th Session of the CCFFV may be accessed prior to the public meeting at www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
Codex was created in 1963 by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Codex develops food standards, guidelines and codes of practice in order to protect the health of consumers, ensure fair food trade practices and promote coordination of food standards undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.
For further information regarding the 14th Session of CCFFV or to submit comments in advance, contact Dorian LaFond, International Standards Coordinator, AMS, Fruits and Vegetable Programs, at (202) 690-4944, or by e-mail at Dorian.LaFond@usda.gov.
JECFA 68th report
The report of the 68th JECFA meeting has been posted on WHO website: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2007/9789241209472_eng.pdf.
FAO & WHO, Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants: Sixty-eighth report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, WHO Technical Report Series, No. 947, 2007.
US Public Meetings
U.S. Delegates to Codex committees schedule public meetings prior to their committee meetings to inform the public about the meeting agenda and proposed U.S. positions on the issues. During these public meetings delegates also receive comments from interested parties on Codex issues.
Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS)
Feb 28, 20082:00–3:00 p.m.
Room 1A-001Harvey W. Wiley Building5100 Paint Branch ParkwayCollege Park, MD
Contaminants in Foods (CCCF)
Mar 5, 20081:00–3:00 p.m.
Auditorium (Room 1A003)Harvey W. Wiley Building5100 Paint Branch ParkwayCollege Park, MD
Food Additives (CCFA)
Mar 12, 20081:00–4:00 p.m.
Auditorium (Room 1A003)Harvey W. Wiley Building5100 Paint Branch ParkwayCollege Park, MD
Food Labelling (CCFL)
Mar 31, 20081:00–4:00 p.m.
Room 107A Jamie Whitten Federal Bldg.1400 Independence Ave. SWWashington, DC
Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS)
Feb 28, 20082:00–3:00 p.m.
Room 1A-001Harvey W. Wiley Building5100 Paint Branch ParkwayCollege Park, MD
Contaminants in Foods (CCCF)
Mar 5, 20081:00–3:00 p.m.
Auditorium (Room 1A003)Harvey W. Wiley Building5100 Paint Branch ParkwayCollege Park, MD
Food Additives (CCFA)
Mar 12, 20081:00–4:00 p.m.
Auditorium (Room 1A003)Harvey W. Wiley Building5100 Paint Branch ParkwayCollege Park, MD
Food Labelling (CCFL)
Mar 31, 20081:00–4:00 p.m.
Room 107A Jamie Whitten Federal Bldg.1400 Independence Ave. SWWashington, DC
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