USDA Schedules Codex Meetings on Import/Export Inspection and Certification; Food Hygiene

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection
Service is convening a September 25, 2014, public meeting in Washington,
D.C., to receive public comments about draft positions to be discussed at the
21st Session of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection
and Certification Systems of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in Brisbane,
Australia, on October 13-17. Issues on the September 25 meeting agenda
include (i) a discussion paper on Principles and Guidelines for Monitoring
Regulatory Performance of National Food Control Systems and (ii) draft
amendments to Guidelines for the Exchange of Information between Countries
on Rejections of Imported Food.

USDA and the Food and Drug Administration have a public meeting slated
for October 23 in Washington, D.C., to provide information and receive public
comments about draft positions to be discussed at the 46th Session of the
Codex Committee on Food Hygiene in Lima, Peru, on November 17-21. Items
on the October meeting agenda include (i) the Draft Code of Hygienic Practice
for Low-Moisture Foods and (ii) Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Control
of Specific Zoonotic Parasites in Meat: Trichinella spp. See Federal Register,
August 15, 2014.

Issue 535