Notice2026-20168
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene
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
October 1, 2026
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentU.S. Codex Office
Abstract
The U.S Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on October 29, 2026. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items to be discussed at the 56th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). CCFH56 will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona, from November 16-20, 2026. The U.S. Executive Director 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 56th Session of the CCFH and to address items on the agenda.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 189 (Thursday, October 1, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 189 (Thursday, October 1, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62458-62459]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-20168]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
U.S. Codex Office
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Food Hygiene
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 October
29, 2026. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information
and receive public comments on agenda items to be discussed at the 56th
Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (CAC). CCFH56 will be held in Scottsdale,
Arizona, from November 16-20, 2026. The U.S. Executive Director 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 56th
Session of the CCFH and to address items on the agenda.
[[Page 62459]]
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for October 29, 2026, from 2:00-
4:00 p.m. ET.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via video teleconference
only. Documents related to the 56th Session of the CCFH will be
accessible via the internet at the following address: <a href="https://codex.fao.org/meetings/d/ccfh-56-1">https://codex.fao.org/meetings/d/ccfh-56-1</a>.
Dr. Benjamin Warren, U.S. Delegate to the 56th Session of the CCFH,
invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments electronically
to the following email addresses: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b6d4d3d8dcd7dbdfd898c1d7c4c4d3d8f6d0d2d798dedec598d1d9c0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0d6f6863676c606463237a6c7f7f68634d6b696c2365657e236a627b">[email protected]</span></a> and
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a6d3d5c5c9c2c3dee6d3d5c2c788c1c9d0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="097c7a6a666d6c71497c7a6d68276e667f">[email protected]</span></a>. Comments should state that they relate to the
activities of the 56th Session of the CCFH.
Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting
at the following link <a href="https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/4pWEa8c2Qj27p1CZF0YKVA">https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/4pWEa8c2Qj27p1CZF0YKVA</a>. After registering, you will receive a
confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
For further information about the 56th Session of the CCFH, contact
the U.S Delegate, Dr. Benjamin Warren at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4527202b2f24282c2b6b32243737202b052321246b2d2d366b222a33"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5f3d3a31353e32363171283e2d2d3a311f393b3e7137372c71383029">[email protected]</span></a>.
For additional information regarding the public meeting, contact the
U.S. Codex Office at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fa8f8999959e9f82ba8f899e9bd49d958c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b0c5c3d3dfd4d5c8f0c5c3d4d19ed7dfc6">[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 Hygiene
(CCFH) are:
(a) to draft basic provisions on food hygiene applicable to all
food;
(b) to consider, amend if necessary and endorse provisions on
hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and contained in Codex
commodity standards, and
(c) to consider, amend if necessary, and endorse provisions on
hygiene prepared by Codex commodity committees and contained in Codex
codes of practice unless, in specific cases, the Commission has decided
otherwise, or
(d) to draft provisions on hygiene applicable to specific food
items or food groups, whether coming within the terms of reference of a
Codex commodity committee or not;
(e) to consider specific hygiene problems assigned to it by the
Commission;
(f) to suggest and prioritize areas where there is a need for
microbiological risk assessment at the international level and to
develop questions to be addressed by the risk assessors; and,
(g) to consider microbiological risk management matters in relation
to food hygiene and in relation to risk assessment.
(The term ``hygiene'' includes, where necessary, microbiological
specifications for food and associated methodology.)
The CCFH is hosted by the United States.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items from the agenda for the 56th Session of the
CCFH will be discussed during the public meeting:
<bullet> Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and/
or other Codex Subsidiary Bodies to the Committee.
[cir] Overview of definitions of ready-to-eat foods in Codex texts.
<bullet> Matters arising from international organizations
(including the Joint Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk
Assessments (JEMRA)).
<bullet> Proposed revision of the Guidelines on the application of
general principles of food hygiene to the control of pathogenic Vibrio
species in seafood (CXG 73-2010).
<bullet> Alignment of Codex texts developed by CCFH with the
revised General principles of food hygiene (CXC 1-1969).
<bullet> Proposed draft revision of the Guidelines on the
application of general principles of food hygiene to the control of
viruses in food (CXG 79-2012).
<bullet> Discussion paper on the revision of the Code of practice
on food allergen management for food business operators (CXC 80-2020).
<bullet> Discussion paper on the revision of the Code of practice
for the processing and handling of quick frozen foods (CXC 8-1976).
<bullet> Other business and future work.
[cir] New work/Forward workplan (Proposals in reply to CL 2026/22-
FH).
Public Meeting
At the October 29, 2026, public meeting, agenda items will be
described and attendees will have the opportunity to pose questions and
offer comments. Written comments may be offered at the meeting or sent
to U.S. Delegate Dr. Benjamin Warren, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fbb99e95919a969295d58c9a89899e95bb9d9f9ad5939388d59c948d">[email protected]</a> and
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#116462727e75746951646275703f767e67"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="552026363a31302d15202631347b323a23">[email protected]</span></a>. Written comments should state that they relate to
activities of the 56th Session of the CCFH.
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 September 29, 2026.
Julie A. Chao,
Deputy U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2026-20168 Filed 9-30-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3420-3F-P
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