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 Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) are:

(a) to establish or endorse permitted maximum levels, and where necessary revise existing guidelines levels, for contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed;

(b) to prepare priority lists of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants for risk assessment by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives;

(c) to consider methods of analysis and sampling for the determination of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed;

(d) to consider and elaborate standards or codes of practice for related subjects; and

(e) to consider other matters assigned to it by the Commission in relation to contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed.

The CCCF is hosted by the Netherlands. The Netherlands is co-hosting the 19th Session of the CCCF with Egypt. The United States attends the CCCF as a member country of Codex.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

The following items from the agenda for the 19th Session of the CCCF will be discussed during the public meeting:

• Adoption of the Agenda
• Matters referred to the Committee by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and/or its subsidiary bodies
• Matters of interest arising from international organizations including the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives
• Matters of interest arising from other international organizations
• Code of practice for the prevention and reduction of cadmium contamination in foods (at Step 4)
• Code of practice for the prevention and reduction of tropane alkaloids contamination in food and feed (at Step 4)
• Code of practice for the reduction of aflatoxin B1 in raw materials and supplemental feeding stuffs for milk-producing animals (CXC 45-1997) (revision) (at Step 4)
• Code of practice for weed control to prevent and reduce pyrrolizidine alkaloid contamination in food and feed (CXC 74-2014) (revision) (at Step 4)
• Review of the ML for methylmercury in tuna and the associated sampling plan
• Proposal for a JECFA call for data on total aflatoxins in cereals and cereal-based foods
• Review of the Code of practice for the reduction of acrylamide in foods (CXC 67-2009)
• Development of a Code of practice for the prevention and reduction of ochratoxin A contamination in dried fruits
• Consideration of T-2, HT-2, DAS, and ergot alkaloids
• Development of guidelines on the safe use of recycled plastics in food packaging
• Application of maximum levels to spice mixtures
• Identification of methods of analysis or numeric performance criteria for maximum levels in the General Standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed (CXS 193-1995) for which there are not methods in the Recommended methods of analysis and sampling (CXS 234-1999)
• Guidance on data analysis for the development of maximum levels and for improved data collection—Annexes
• Review of Codex standards for contaminants
• Priority list of contaminants for evaluation by JECFA
• Follow-up work on the outcomes of JECFA evaluations and expert consultations
• Other business

Public Meeting

At the September 29, 2026, public meeting, agenda items will be described ( printed page 53839) 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. Lauren Posnick Robin, via Quynh-Anh Nguyen, at quynh-anh.nguyen@fda.hhs.gov, copying uscodex@usda.gov. Written comments should state that they relate to activities of the 19th Session of the CCCF.

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: https://www.usda.gov/​codex.