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
