Public meeting to address agenda for international health meeting

The United States Department of Agriculture's Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety in conjunction with the department's Food Safety and Inspection Service is sponsoring a public meeting to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items, and draft U.S. positions to be discussed at the 36th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which will be held in Rome, Italy, July 1-5, 2013.
The public meeting will be held June 18, 2013, from 1 to 4 p.m. at USDA headquarters, the Jamie L. Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 107-A, Washington, D.C., 20250.
Documents and agenda items related to the commission will be accessible at the Codex Alimentarius Commission website. To join the public meeting by conference call, dial +1.888.858.2144 and use participant code: 6208658.
During the meeting, the committee will discuss:

• Election of Chairperson and Vice Chair
• Strategic planning for the Codex Alimentarius Commission
• Amendments to Codex standards and related texts
• Appointment of regional coordinators
• Matters referred to Codex Alimentarius Commission by Codex committees and task forces
• Matters of interest arising from the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization and other international organizations
Codex was established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Codex seeks to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade through adoption of food standards, codes of practice and other guidelines developed by its committees, and by promoting their adoption and implementation by governments.
For more information about the public meeting, or to submit written comments contact: Jasmine Curtis, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 4865, Washington, D.C., 20250; telephone +1.202.690.1124, fax +1.202.720.3157, email: Jasmine.Curtis@fsis.usda.gov.
For more information about the 36th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, contact: Barbara McNiff, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 4861, Washington, D.C., 20250; telephone +1.202.690.4719, fax +1.202.720.3157, email: Barbara.McNiff@fsis.usda.gov.