USDA sets menu for planning session

An October conference will be held by the multilateral Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems.    The U.S. Codex Office of the Agriculture Department will host a public meeting from 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 26 at the USDA in preparation for the 24th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
   The commission is scheduled to meet from Oct. 22 to 26 in Brisbane, Australia.
   The commission was established in 1963 by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization and works to promote consumer health and ensure fair food trade practices through adoption of food standards, codes of practice and other guidelines and by promoting the measures’ adoption and implementation by governments.
   The Codex Office meeting will cover issues including proposed draft guidance of systems equivalence; proposed draft guidance on paperless use of electronic certificates; a discussion paper on food integrity and authenticity; and a discussion paper on consideration of emerging issues and future directions of the commission’s work.