. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/CHN/68 
13 February 2004 
 (04-0591) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Health and Standardization Administration of China 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  ICS  67.120.30 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All 
countries and regions  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Hygienic standard for 
canned fish (available in Chinese, 5 pages) 
6. Description of content:  This standard stipulates the requirements of index, food additives, 
hygienic requirements in processing, marki ng, packaging, storage, transportation and 
determination methods of canne d fish.  This standard applies to canned products with a 
degree of vacuum made from fresh (frozen) fish, which are disposed, chosen, napped, 
processed, canned (including tin jar, glass ja r, complex film jar and other wrapper 
container), airproofed, sterilized and cooled. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection, 
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or  disease, [   ] protec t territory from other 
damage from pests 
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health, 
[   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:  The former standard did not regulated limits for 
methyl mercury.  The limits for tin in former standard is ≤ 200mg/kg.  But in CAC, there 
are tinning can and other wrapper can.  Accordi ng to CAC standards, the modified standard 
added limits for methyl mercury:  edible fishes ≤ 1.0mg/kg, non-edible fishes ≤ 0.5mg/kg;  
limits for tin: tinning can ≤ 250mg/kg, other can ≤ 50mg/kg. 
9. Relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:  Chinese 
GB 2733 Hygienic standards for fresh, frozen aquatic products of animal origin GB 2760 Hygienic standards for uses of food additives GB 4789.26 Microbiological examination of food hygiene, Examination of commercial 
sterilization of canned food 
GB/T 5009.11 Determination of tota l and inorganic arsenic in foods 
GB/T 5009.12 Determination of lead in foods G/SPS/N/CHN/68 
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  GB/T 5009.14 Determination of zinc in foods  
GB/T 5009.15 Determination of cadmium in foods GB/T 5009.16 Determination of tin in foods GB/T 5009.17 Determination of tota l and organic mercury in foods 
GB/T 5009.27 Determination of  benzo(a)pyrene in foods 
GB/T 5009.45 Method for anaIysis of hygienic standard of fish and other aquatic products 
GB/T 5009.90 Determination of iron , magnesium and manganese in foods 
GB/T 5009.190 Determination of polychlorinated biphenyl in seafoods 
GB 7718 The universal standard of food labels 
GB 8950 Hygienic specifications of can factory 
10. Proposed date of adoption:   To be determined 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   6 months after adoption 
12. Final date for comments:  Sixty days after the date of notification 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or  address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:    
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notificati on authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: