WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/GEN/8 
25 June 2004 
 
 (04-2755) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION 
AT THE TBT COMMITTEE MEETING OF 1 JULY 2004 
 
Agenda Item 6(b):  Updating by Observers
 
 
 
 The following document, dated 24 June 2004, is being circulated at the request of the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission . 
 
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I. CODEX SESSIONS SINCE THE LAST MEETING OF THE TBT COMMITTEE 
(23 MARCH 2004) 
• The 36th Session Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (Rotterdam, 
The Netherlands, 22-26 March 2004). 
 
• The 36th Session Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (Washington DC, United States, 
29 March - 3 April 2004). 
 
• The 36th Session Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (New Delhi, India, 
19-24 April 2004). 
 
• The 6th Session Codex Committee on Milk and Milk  Products (Auckland, New Zealand, 
26-30 April 2004). 
 
• The 20th Session Codex Committee on General Principles (Paris, France, 3-7 May 2004). 
 
• The 32 ndSession Codex Committee on Food Labelling (Montréal, Canada, 
10-14 May 2004). 
 
• The 5th Session ad hoc Intergovernmental Codex Task Force on Animal Feeding 
(Copenhagen, Denmark, 17-19 May 2004). 
 
• The 54th Session Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Geneva, 
Switzerland, 24-26 June 2004). 
 
1. The 6th Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products  has elaborated further 
a number of standards for milk products and recommended the following texts for preliminary 
adoption at Step 5 by the Commission:  proposed dr aft Standard for a Blend of Evaporated Skimmed 
Milk and Vegetable Fat; proposed draft Standard fo r a Blend of Skimmed Milk and Vegetable Fat in 
Powdered Form;  proposed draft Standard for a Blend of Sweetened Condensed Skimmed Milk and G/TBT/GEN/8 
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 Vegetable Fat;  proposed draft revised Standard fo r Cheddar;  proposed draft revised Standard for 
Danbo;  proposed draft revised Standard for Whey Cheeses.   
2. The 32
nd Session Codex Committee on Food Labelling agreed to forward to the 
Commission for adoption the Draft Guidelines for U se of Nutrition and Health Claims, the Draft 
Amendment to the Guidelines for the Production, Pr ocessing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically 
Produced Food and the Draft Amendment to the St andard for Quick Frozen Fish Sticks (Fish 
Fingers), Fish Portions and Fish Fillets, Breaded  or in Batter (Labelling Section).  The Committee 
also agreed to undertake new work on the revisi on of the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, 
Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Fo ods and to ask the advice of the Commission on 
the need for new work on country of origin 
3. The 20th Session of  the Codex Committee on General Principles has considered rules to 
implement some of the recommendations of the Joint FAO/WHO Evaluation of the Codex 
Alimentarius and, in particular, has agreed to forward to the 27th Session of the Commission the 
proposed Amendments to Rules of Procedure VIII Observers  regarding participation of international 
non-governmental organizations in the work of the Commission.   
4. In addition to procedural issues, the Committee has agreed to propose a Codex-wide 
definition of traceability/product tracing, for inclusion in the Procedural Manual.   
5. The Committee has also pursued its work on the proposed draft Revised Code of Ethics for 
International Trade in Foods and agreed to seek the advice of the Commission to further clarify the need to revise the Code of Ethics and its intended scope, particularly with re gard to whether it should 
focus solely on ethical aspects. 
6. The 5
th Session of  the ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding  
forwarded the definition of “feed additives”, paragraph 11 of the Section on Labelling and 
paragraph 12 of the Section on  Traceability/Product Tracing and Record Keeping of Feed and Feed 
Ingredients to the 27th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission for final adoption and 
inclusion in the Code of Practice on Good Animal Feeding. 
II. FORTHCOMING CODEX MEETINGS  
• The 27th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Geneva, Switzerland, 
28 June - 3 July 2004). 
 
• The 14th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Asia (Jeju, Republic of 
Korea, 7-10 September 2004). 
 
• The 24th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Europe (Bratislava, 
Slovak Republic, 20-23 September 2004). 
 
• The 22nd Session of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables 
(Washington DC, United States, 27 September - 1 October 2004). 
 
• The 8th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and 
South West Pacific (Apia, Samoa, 19-22 October 2004). 
 
• The 15th Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods 
(Washington DC, United States, 26-29 October 2004). 
  G/TBT/GEN/8 
 Page 3 
 
 
 7. The Codex Alimentarius Commission  will hold its 27th Session in the Centre International 
de Conférences Genève (CICG) from 28 June to 3 July 2004, preceded by the 54th Session of the 
Executive Committee.  This is in accordance with the decision of 26th Session of the Commission to 
hold annual meetings of the Commission.  The 27th Session will consider, inter alia , draft Codex 
standards and related texts for final adoption at St ep 8 or at Step 5/8 (see Appendix) as well as 
proposals to amend the Rules of Procedure and other texts in the Procedural Manual. 
III. MEMBERSHIP OF THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION 
8. There has been no change in the membership  of the Codex Alimentarius Commission since 
the last session of the SPS Committee.  It curren tly comprises 170 Member Nations and one Member 
Organization.    G/TBT/GEN/8 
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 APPENDIX 
 
STANDARDS AND RELATED TEXTS SUBMITTED FOR ADOPTION TO  
THE 27TH SESSION OF THE CODE X ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION 
 
Codex 
body Subject 
CAC Draft Code of Practice on Good Animal Feeding (with the exception of the definition of 
Feed Additives and paragraphs 11,12 and 13) 
CCAF Draft Definition of Feed Additives and Paragra phs 11 and 12 of the Draft Code of Practice 
on Good Animal Feeding 
CCFAC Draft Food Category System of the Codex General Standard for Food Additives 
CCFAC Draft Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in 
Peanuts 
CCFAC Draft Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Lead Contamination in Food 
CCFAC Draft and proposed draft revisions to Table 1 of the Codex General Standard for Food 
Additives 
CCFAC Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives (Category I) arising from the 61st 
JECFA Meeting 
CCFAC Proposed draft Amendments to the International Numbering System for Food Additives 
CCFFP Draft Standard for Salted Atlantic Herring and Salted Sprat 
CCFFP Draft Model Certificate for Fish and Fishery Products (sanitary certificate) 
CCFFP Draft Amendment to the Standard for Quick Frozen Lobsters 
CCFFP Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (a quaculture and quick 
frozen coated fish products) 
CCFFV Draft Standard for Oranges 
CCFH Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Milk and Milk Products 
CCFICS Proposed Draft Principles and Guidelines for the Exchange of Information in Food Safety 
Emergency Situations 
CCFL Draft Guidelines for Use of Nutrition and Health Claims 
CCFL Draft Amendment to the Standard for Quick Frozen Fish Sticks (Fish Fingers), Fish 
Portions and Fish Fillets, Breaded or in Batter (Labelling Section)  
CCFL Draft Amendment to the Guidelines fo r the Production, Processing, Labelling and 
Marketing of Organically Produced Foods : Revised  Annex 2 – Tables 1 and 2 
CCMAS Draft General Guidelines on Sampling 
CCMAS Draft Guidelines on Measurement Uncertainty 
CCPR Draft and Revised Draft MRLs 
CCPR Proposed Draft and Revised Proposed Draft MRLs 
 
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