. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/COL/57 
11 August 2004 
 (04-3395) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  Spanish 
  
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   COLOMBIA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):    
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Social Welfare 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers and E-mail and Web site addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   Ministry of 
Commerce, Industry and Tourism 
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [    ], 2.10.1 [ X ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:    
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Panela  - unrefined 
brown cane sugar (1701.11.10.00) 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Resolution No. 02546 
Issuing the Emergency Technical Regulation Es tablishing the Sanitary Requirements for the 
Production and Marketing of Panela  Cane Sugar for Human Consumption and Adopting 
Other Provisions  (12 pages, in Spanish). 
6. Description of content:   Purpose;  Scope of application;   Definitions;  General conditions 
for panela  cane sugar;  Physico-chemical requi rements;  Prohibitions;  Production of panela  
cane sugar from unrefined molasses;  Sanita ry conditions of sugar mills and storage 
facilities for unrefined molasses;  Packing, p ackaging, labelling, repackaging, storage, 
distribution, transport and marketing;  Exportation of panela  cane sugar, sanitary 
registration and surveillance;  Inspection,  monitoring, control, safety measures and 
penalties;  Conformity assessment and certifica tion;  Notification and Period of validity. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: 
 Colombian sanitary authorities established,  by way of analytical laboratory tests 
conducted in 2003 on panela  cane sugar as part of their inspection, monitoring and control 
duties, that 64 per cent of the samples coll ected contained bleaching agents and colouring 
matter, which are extremely detrimental to human health. 
8. Relevant documents:   Decree No. 3075 of 1997. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:  6 August 2004  
Proposed date of entry into force:  Upon publication in the Official Journal.  
10. Final date for comments:   Not applicable G/TBT/N/COL/57 
Page 2  
 
 
11. Texts available from: National enquiry po int [ X ], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and E-mail and Web site address es, if available, of other body:  
Enquiry Point
:  
Contact person: Daniel Hector Rico R. 
E-mail:  danielrico@mincomercio.gov.co 
Tel.: (571) 350-5500, Ext. 713 Fax: (571) 350-9564  Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo 
Dirección de Regulación 
E-mail:  jcrondon@mincomercio.gov.co Calle 28, No. 13A - 15, primer piso Bogotá, D.C., Colombia Tel.: (571) 350-5500, Ext. 715 
Fax: (571) 350-5211 
Web site: http://www.mincomercio.gov.co/VBeCont ent/NewsDetail.asp? ID=2197&IDCompany=15 
 Ministerio de la Protección Social 
Dirección de Salud Publica 
E-mail:  agonzalez@minproteccionsocial.gov.co Carrera 13, No. 32 - 76, Piso 21 Tel.: (571) 336-5066, Ext.2150 Fax: (571) 336-0116 Bogotá, D.C., Colombia 
Web site:  http://www.minproteccionsocial.gov.co/MseContent/home.asp