CODEX News
Codex News
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
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Public Meetings
 
Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)
The U.S. Codex Program is sponsoring a public meeting on June 21, 2019, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. EDT to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions to be discussed at the 42 nd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, in Geneva, Switzerland, July 8-12, 2019. The public meeting will take place in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Jamie L. Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 107-A, Washington, DC 20250. Documents related to the 42 nd Session of the CAC will be accessible via the internet at the following address: www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en .
  • Mary Frances Lowe, U.S. Delegate to the 42nd Session of the CAC, invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments electronically to the following email address: uscodex@usda.gov.
  • Please register to attend by emailing uscodex@usda.gov by June 19, 2019. Early registration is encouraged because it will expedite entry into the building, for which attendees should bring photo identification and plan for adequate time to pass through federal building security screening systems.
  • Attendees who are not able to attend in person, but who wish to participate, may do so by phone/conference call; please use the call-in number: 1-888-844-9904, participant code 5126092.
 
 
Electronic Working Groups (EWG)
 
Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA)
General Standard for Food Additives : CCFA invites members and observers to join an EWG chaired by the United States, working in English, to work on the General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) for the 52 nd Session of the CCFA. Individuals interested in working on the EWG should send their contact information, including name(s), affiliation, and email address to Dr. Paul Honigfort at ccfa@cfsan.fda.gov by June 21, 2019. As this EWG will operate on the Codex Online Forum, please note that when there is more than one expert, each country or observer organization shall designate one as their official representative to participate.
 
 
Requests for Comments
 
Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA)
Nitrates and Nitrites : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/49-FA) requesting general information on the availability of data related to nitrates and nitrites. The CL can be found in English at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered in the U.S. response, please send them to Ken Lowery ( ken.lowery@usda.gov ) by September 5, 2019. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted through their Codex Contact Point (CCP) to codex@fao.org with a copy to ccfa@cfsa.net.cn by September 15, 2019.

Changes/Additions to Class Names and the International Numbering System for Food Additives : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/39-FA) requesting proposals for changes and/or additions to Section 3 of the Class Names and the International Numbering System for Food Additives. The CL is available in English at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered in the U.S. response, please send them to Ken Lowery ( ken.lowery@usda.gov ) by September 5, 2019. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted through their CCP to ccfa@cfsa.net.cn with a copy to codex@fao.org by September 15, 2019.

Food Additive Provision of the GSFA : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/40-FA) requesting proposals for new provisions and/or revisions of the Food Additive Provision of the GSFA . The CL is available in English at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered in the U.S. response, please send them to Ken Lowery ( ken.lowery@usda.gov ) by January 3, 2020. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted through their CCP to ccfa@cfsa.net.cn with a copy to codex@fao.org by January 15, 2020.

Priority List of Substances : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/41-FA) requesting information and comments on the priority list of substances proposed for evaluation by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) . The CL is available in English at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered in the U.S. response, please send them to Ken Lowery ( ken.lowery@usda.gov ) by January 3, 2020. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted through their CCP to ccfa@cfsa.net.cn with a copy to codex@fao.org by January 15, 2020.
 
Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH)
New Work and/or Revisions of Existing Standards : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/50-FH) requesting proposals for new work and/or revisions of existing standards. The CL is available in English at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered for the U.S. response, please send them to Marie Maratos ( marie.maratos@usda.gov ) by August 22, 2019. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted to ccfh@usda.gov with a copy to codex@fao.org by September 1, 2019.
 
Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL)
Labelling of Non-Retail Containers : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/55/OCS-FL) requesting comments at Step 5 on the proposed draft Guidance for the Labelling of Non-Retail Containers . The CL is available at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered for the U.S. response, please send them to Kristen Hendricks ( kristen.hendricks@usda.gov ) by June 20, 2019. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted via their CCP using the OCS (Online Commenting System) ( ocs.codexalimentarius.org ) by June 30, 2019.
 
Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO)
List of Acceptable Previous Cargo : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/51/OCS-FO) requesting proposals for amendments to Appendix 2: List of Acceptable Previous Cargoes of CAC/RCP 36-1987 . The CL is available in English at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered in the U.S. response, please send them to Marie Maratos ( marie.maratos@usda.gov ) by December 5, 2019. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted via their CCP using the OCS ( ocs.codexalimentarius.org ) by December 15, 2019.
 
Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS)
Methods of Analysis : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/59/OCS-MAS) requesting comments on the methods of analysis for inclusion in the General Standard for Methods of Analysis and Sampling . The CL is available at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered in the U.S. response, please send them to Doreen Chen-Moulec ( doreen.chenmoulec@usda.gov ) by June 20, 2019. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted via their CCP using the OCS ( ocs.codexalimentarius.org ) by June 30, 2019.
 
Preamble and Document Structure : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/60/OCS-MAS) requesting comments at Step 5/8 on the proposed draft preamble and document structure of the General Standard for Methods of Analysis and Sampling . The CL is available at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered in the U.S. response, please send them to Doreen Chen-Moulec ( doreen.chenmoulec@usda.gov ) by June 20, 2019. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted via their CCP using the OCS ( ocs.codexalimentarius.org ) by June 30, 2019.
 
Guidelines on Measurement Uncertainty : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/61/OCS-MAS) requesting comments at Step 5 of the Guidelines on Measurement Uncertainty. The CL is available at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered in the U.S. response, please send them to Doreen Chen-Moulec ( doreen.chenmoulec@usda.gov ) by June 20, 2019. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted via their CCP using the OCS ( ocs.codexalimentarius.org ) by June 30, 2019.
 
FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA)
Dried Meat : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/56/OCS-AFRICA) requesting comments at Step 3 for the proposed draft Standard for Dried Meats. The CL is available at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered in the U.S. response, please send them to Ken Lowery ( ken.lowery@usda.gov ) by July 19, 2019. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted via their CCP using the OCS ( ocs.codexalimentarius.org ) by July 31, 2019.
 
Fermented Cooked Cassava-Based Products : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/57/OCS-AFRICA) requesting comments at Step 6 on the draft Standard for Fermented Cooked Cassava-Based Products. The CL is available at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered in the U.S. response, please send them to Ken Lowery ( ken.lowery@usda.gov ) by July 19, 2019. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted via their CCP using the OCS ( ocs.codexalimentarius.org ) by July 31, 2019.
 
Gnetum Spp : The Codex Secretariat issued a Circular Letter (CL 2019/58/AFRICA) requesting comments at Step 6 on the draft regional standard for Gnetum Spp. The CL is available at the following link: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/resources/circular-letters/en . If you are interested in having your comments considered in the U.S. response, please send them to Ken Lowery ( ken.lowery@usda.gov ) by July 23, 2019. Comments by other observers and countries should be submitted via their CCP using the OCS ( ocs.codexalimentarius.org ) by August 2, 2019.