A working group of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Certification and Inspection Systems (CCFICS) will circulate a revised version of the Proposed Draft Principles and Guidelines for National Food Control Systems and an associated report to all Committee members for discussion at the next CCFICS meeting on Feb. 18-22, 2013. The working group met in Grange, Ireland, July 9-12, 2012, to consider the revisions.
The public meeting for the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables is scheduled for 10 am-12 pm on August 30 in Room 2068 of the USDA South Building, said the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The Committee meets September 3-7 in Mexico City.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails July 16 announcing changes to some Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
On July 16 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Codex Committee for Asia requested comments from governments and interested international organizations on the proposed draft Regional Standard for Non-Fermented Soybean Products, said the Food Safety and Inspection Service. China led an electronic working group of regional committee members that produced a draft regional standard now available for comment at Step 3. The text of this draft is contained in Annex 1 of a circular letter available here. Parties interested in contributing to a U.S. response should send their comments to USCodex@fsis.usda.gov by Sept. 7. International organizations may send their comments directly to the Codex Secretariat (codex@fao.org), with a copy to Dr. Takako Yano, Secretary for the CCASIA, ccasia@nm.maff.go.jp by Sept. 15.
On July 13 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Food Safety and Inspection Service revised export requirements and plant lists for the following countries for July 6-12:
On July 12 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Agricultural Marketing Service issued a proposed rule to amend the United States Standards for Grades of Almonds in the Shell by shifting the basis from count to weight in the standards for determining the percentage of internal defects in an inspection sample of almonds in the shell. In addition to simplifying the grading process, AMS said, the weight basis would yield a more accurate percentage of internal defects. For example, due to its lower weight relative to a fully formed kernel, a shriveled kernel has a smaller impact on the percentage of internal defects when the sample is weighed rather than counted, AMS said. Comments on the proposal are due by Aug. 15.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails July 11 announcing changes to some Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.