USDA Seeks Comments on U.S. Position for Codex Session

Washington—USDA FSIS and AMS Fruit and Vegetable Programs will hold a public meeting to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions to be discussed at the 15th Session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

The public meeting will be held Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, from 10 a.m. to noon, Room 2068, USDA South Building, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250. Attendees will be required to present photo identification at the door.

Interested parties may submit written comments at the meeting, or by e-mail to Dorian LaFond, International Standards Coordinator, AMS, Fruit and Vegetable Programs.

Documents and agenda items related to the 15th Session of the CCFFV, which is hosted by Mexico and will be held Oct. 19-23, 2009, in Mexico City, Mexico, will be accessible at Codexalimentarius.net.

Codex was created in 1963 by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Codex develops food standards, guidelines and codes of practice in order to protect the health of consumers, to ensure fair food trade practices, and to promote the coordination of food standards undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

For more information about the public meeting, contact Doreen Chen-Moulec, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA, by e-mail at or by phone at (202) 205-7760 or fax at (202) 720-3157.