HHS Announces Public Meetings to Discuss Codex Sessions on Fresh Produce, Fisheries

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Office of the Acting Secretary for Food Safety have announced two public meetings to address upcoming sessions of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the international food standards body established by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization. Slated for September 2, 2009, the first meeting will consider U.S. draft positions pertaining to the 30th Session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP) to be held September 29-October 2 in Agadir, Morocco. The second public meeting is scheduled for September 17, when the agencies will discuss the 15th Session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV) to be held October 19-23 in Mexico City, Mexico. Both Codex committees set international standards, codes and other texts related to the preparation, labeling and marketing of their respective products. See the Federal Register, August 7 and 11, 2009.