The Food Safety and Inspection Service announced a public meeting Sept. 17 in Washington, DC, to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions that will be discussed at the 26th session of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV), which will be in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Oct. 15-19. CCPFV is responsible for: elaborating worldwide standards and related texts for all types of processed fruits and vegetables including but not limited to canned, dried and frozen products as well as fruit and vegetable juices and nectars, FSIS said. The public may participate via teleconference by calling 1-888-858-2144, participant code 6208658.
On Aug. 21 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails Aug. 21 announcing changes to some Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
The U.S. Codex Office concluded a three-day colloquium on Aug. 10 for an exchange of views among delegates from the U.S. and delegates from 21 Committee on Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) member countries to prepare for their participation in upcoming meetings of the Codex committees on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV), Food Hygiene (CCFH), and Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP), said the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The colloquium was attended by delegates from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Lucia, the U.S., and Uruguay. This is the 7th Western Hemisphere colloquium since this series began in 2008.
On Aug. 20 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails Aug. 20 announcing changes to some Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
The Codex Task Force on Animal Feeding is asking for comments on the draft Guidelines on Application of Risk Assessment for Feed (here), said the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Parties interested in contributing to the U.S. response should send their comments to the U.S. Codex Office (USCodex@fsis.usda.gov) by Nov. 9. International organizations may send their comments directly to secretariatTFAF@blw.admin.ch with a copy to the Codex Secretariat (codex@fao.org), by Nov. 15.
On Aug. 17 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails Aug. 17 announcing changes to some Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
The Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) is inviting member countries and observer organizations to participate in an electronic working group to draft an annex for the prevention and reduction of Aflatoxins and Ochratoxin A contamination in sorghum, reported the Food Safety and Inspection Service. This annex should cover the stages of primary production, storage and distribution to the point of usage of sorghum. The annex will be proposed for the existing Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Mycotoxin Contamination in Cereals (CAC/RCP 51-2003). The working group will be led by Nigeria, and co-chaired by Sudan. Parties in the U.S. that are interested in contributing to the U.S. participation in this electronic working group should contact the U.S. Codex Office (USCodex@fsis.usda.gov).