Public Meeting to Address Codex Session on Processed Fruits and Vegetables

WASHINGTON D.C. - The USDA Office of Food Safety will hold a public meeting to provide information and receive comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions that will be discussed at the October Session of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV) in Indonesia.

The public meeting will be Monday, Aug. 30, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., in Room 2068, USDA, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. To participate through teleconference, call (888) 996-4918, and enter the passcode 63757. A complete agenda and documents relating to the 25th Session of CCPFV is available on the Codex Alimentarius Web site at www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.

The CCPFV is responsible for elaborating worldwide standards for all types of processed fruits and vegetables including dried products, canned dried peas and beans, jams and jellies, but not dried prunes, or fruit and vegetable juices. The Committee is hosted by the United States of America. Among the agenda items for the 25th session of CCPFV is the revision of standards for quick frozen fruits and vegetables.

For more information on the CCPFV session, contact Dorian LaFond, (202) 690-4944 or Dorian.LaFond@ams.usda.gov. Individuals may submit written comments to uscodex@fsis.usda.gov, with the notification they apply to the 25th Session of the CCPFV.

For more information about the public meeting, contact Doreen Chen-Moulec, (202) 720-4063 or Doreen.Chen-Moulec@fsis.usda.gov.