Notice2026-06134
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
March 31, 2026
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentU.S. Codex Office
Abstract
The U.S. Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on April 23, 2026. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. position to be discussed at the 49th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL49) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). CCFL49 will be held in Ottawa, Canada, from May 11 to 15, 2026. The U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 49th Session of the CCFL and to address items on the agenda.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 61 (Tuesday, March 31, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 61 (Tuesday, March 31, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15943-15944]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06134]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
U.S. Codex Office
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Food Labelling
AGENCY: U.S. Codex Office, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on April
23, 2026. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information
and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. position to
be discussed at the 49th Session of the Codex Committee on Food
Labelling (CCFL49) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). CCFL49
will be held in Ottawa, Canada, from May 11 to 15, 2026. The U.S.
Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Under Secretary for Trade and
Foreign Agricultural Affairs recognize the importance of providing
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on
the 49th Session of the CCFL and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for April 23, 2026, from 1:00-
3:00 p.m. ET.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via video teleconference
only. Documents related to the 49th Session of the CCFL will be
accessible via the internet at the following address: <a href="https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCFL&session=49">https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCFL&session=49</a>.
Dr. Douglas Balentine, U.S. Delegate to the 49th Session of the
CCFL, invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments
electronically to the following email address:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#83e7ecf6e4efe2f0ade1e2efe6edf7eaede6c3e5e7e2adebebf0ade4ecf5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="690d061c0e05081a470b08050c071d00070c290f0d084701011a470e061f">[email protected]</span></a>. Comments should state that they relate
to the activities of the 49th Session of the CCFL.
Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting
at the following link: <a href="https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/e8jLXqHuSsmkjr6XCJIZGg">https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/e8jLXqHuSsmkjr6XCJIZGg</a>. After registering, you will receive a
confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
For further information about the 49th Session of the CCFL, contact
the U.S. Delegate, Dr. Douglas Balentine, by
[[Page 15944]]
email at: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2f4b405a48434e5c014d4e434a415b46414a6f494b4e0147475c01484059"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5f3b302a38333e2c713d3e333a312b36313a1f393b3e7137372c71383029">[email protected]</span></a>. For additional information
regarding the public meeting, contact the U.S. Codex Office by email
at: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dbaea8b8b4bfbea39baea8bfbaf5bcb4ad"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="710402121e15140931040215105f161e07">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established in 1963. Through
adoption of food standards, codes of practice, and other guidelines
developed by its committees, and by promoting their adoption and
implementation by governments, Codex seeks to protect the health of
consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade.
The Terms of Reference of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling
(CCFL) are:
(a) to draft provisions on labelling applicable to all foods;
(b) to consider, amend if necessary, and endorse draft specific
provisions on labelling prepared by the Codex Committees drafting
standards, codes of practice and guidelines;
(c) to study specific labelling problems assigned to it by the
Commission; and,
(d) to study problems associated with the advertisement of food
with particular reference to claims and misleading descriptions.
The CCFL is hosted by Canada. The United States attends the CCFL as
a member country of Codex.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items from the Provisional Agenda for the 49th
Session of the CCFL will be discussed during the public meeting:
<bullet> Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and/or
its subsidiary bodies
<bullet> The use of ``country of harvest'' in addition to the mandatory
declaration of country of origin in food labelling of spices
<bullet> Matters of interest from international organizations
<bullet> Consideration of labelling provisions in draft Codex standards
(endorsement)
<bullet> Annex to the General standard for the labelling of pre-
packaged foods (CXS 1-1985): Guidelines on the use of precautionary
allergen labelling (PAL)
<bullet> Amendments to the General standard for the labelling of pre-
packaged foods (CXS 1-1985): Provisions relevant to joint presentation
and multipack formats
<bullet> Guidelines on application of food labelling provisions in
emergencies
<bullet> Future work and emerging issues
<bullet> Other business
Public Meeting
At the April 23, 2026, public meeting, agenda items and draft U.S.
positions will be described and discussed, and attendees will have the
opportunity to pose questions and offer comments. Written comments may
be offered at the meeting or sent to Dr. Douglas Balentine, U.S.
Delegate to the 49th Session of the CCFL, at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b2d6ddc7d5ded3c19cd0d3ded7dcc6dbdcd7f2d4d6d39cdadac19cd5ddc4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cbafa4beaca7aab8e5a9aaa7aea5bfa2a5ae8badafaae5a3a3b8e5aca4bd">[email protected]</span></a>. Written comments should state that they
relate to activities of the 49th Session of the CCFL.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, the U.S. Codex Office will
announce this Federal Register publication on-line through the USDA
Codex web page located at: <a href="https://www.usda.gov/codex">https://www.usda.gov/codex</a>.
(Authority: 19 U.S.C. 2578; Pres. Proc. 6780; 7 CFR part 2.602.)
Done at Washington, DC, on March 26, 2026.
Julie A. Chao,
Deputy U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2026-06134 Filed 3-30-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3420-3F-P
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