WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/479 
17 March 2004 
 (04-1192) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION 
 
Submission by the Codex Alimentarius Commission at the Meeting
 
of 17-18 March 2004  
 
 
A. CODEX SESSIONS SINCE THE LAST MEETING OF THE SPS  COMMITTEE (29-30  OCTOBER 2003) 
 - The 25th Session Committee on Nutrition and Food for Special Dietary Uses (Bonn, 
Germany, 3-8 November 2003). 
 - The 19th Session Committee on General Principles (Special Session) (Paris, France, 
17-21 November 2003). 
 - The 12th Session of Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and 
Certification Systems (Brisbane, Australia, 1-5 December 2003). 
 - The 53rd Session Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
(Geneva, Switzerland, 4-6 February 2004). 
 - The 10th Session of Codex Committee on Meat Hygiene (Auckland, New Zealand, 
16-20 February 2004). 
 - The 25th Session Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (Budapest, 
Hungary, 7-14 March 2004). 
1. The special (19th) 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.  In particular, the Comm ittee has agreed to forward to the 27th Session of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission: (1) Proposed Amendments to Rules of Procedure, regarding the Executive 
Committee and the Budget and Expenses; (2) propo sed Amendments to the Procedures for the 
Elaboration of Codex Standards a nd Related Texts, related to the critical review of standards and 
related texts; (3) draft Criteria for the Appointme nt of Chairpersons; (4) Draft Guidelines to Host 
Governments of Codex Committees and ad hoc  Intergovernmental Task Forces; (5) Guidelines on the 
Conduct of Meetings of  Codex Committees and ad hoc  Intergovernmental Task Forces; (6) Draft 
Guidelines to Chairpersons of Codex Committees and ad hoc  Intergovernmental Task Forces.  
2. The Committee also agreed to consider furthe r the revision of Rules of Procedure on the 
participation of international or ganisations and the status of observers in the Executive Committee, 
the review of the Principles Concerning the Par ticipation of Internati onal Non-Governmental 
Organizations in the Work of the Codex Alimentari us Commission, the revision of the Criteria for the 
Establishment of Work Priorities, the Draft Guidelines on Physical Working Groups and the Draft Guidelines on Electronic Working Groups. 
3. The 12
th Session of  the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and 
Certification Systems  advanced the proposed draft Principles and Guidelines for the Exchange of 
Information in Food Safety Emergency Situations (Revision of the Codex Guidelines for the 
Exchange of Information in Food Control Emergency Situations ) for final adoption by the next G/SPS/GEN/479 
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 session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and d ecided not to pursue work on the judgment of 
equivalence of technical regulations associated w ith food inspection and certification systems at the 
current time. The Committee agreed to continue  its discussion on traceability/product tracing in the 
context of food inspection and certification systems.  The Committee agreed to initiate new work on 
Appendices to the Guidelines on the Judgement of Equi valence of Sanitary Measures Associated with 
Food Inspection and Certification Systems; Principles  for Electronic Certification; and Guidelines for 
Risk-based Inspection of Imported Foods, pending approval by the Commission. 
4.  The 53
rd Session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission  discussed matters related to the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Evaluation of 
the Codex Alimentarius and Other FAO and WHO Work  on Food Standards. It also noted a progress 
report on the FAO/WHO Project and Trust Fund for Enhanced Participation in Codex. While the 
threshold for the Trust Fund would be reached soon to make the Fund operational shortly, it agreed 
with a view that the current level of funding was too low and that FAO and WHO should more 
actively seek sources of funding, and in particular that this issue should be raised in the WTO 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.   
B. FORTHCOMING CODEX MEETINGS  
 - The 36th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants 
(Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 22-26 March 2004). 
 - The 36th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (Washington DC, United 
States, 29 March - 3 April 2004). 
 - The 36th Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (New Delhi, India, 
19-24 April 2004). 
 - The 6th Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (Auckland, New 
Zealand, 26-30 April 2004). 
 - The 20th Session of the Codex Committee on Ge neral Principles (Paris, France 3-7 
May 2004). 
 - The 32nd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (Montreal, Canada, 10-
14 May 2004). 
 - The 5th Session of the ad hoc  Intergovernmental 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). 
 - The 27th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Geneva, Switzerland, 28 
June - 3 July 2004). 
5. The 36th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants will 
pursue the work on the draft Risk Analysis Prin ciples applied by the Committee on Food Additives 
and Contaminants and will primarily be involved in  the continued elaboration of the Codex General 
Standard for Food Additives. 
6. The 36th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene  will finalize the Draft Code of 
Practice for Milk and Milk Products and continue the revision or elaboration of the following codes of 
hygienic practice/guidelines: Proposed Draft Revisi on of the Code of Hygienic Practice for Egg 
Products; Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Valida tion of Food Hygiene Control Measures; Proposed 
Draft Guidelines on the Application of General Prin ciples of Food Hygiene to the [Management] of  G/SPS/GEN/479 
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 Listeria monocytogenes in Foods and Proposed Dr aft Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of 
Microbiological Risk Management. 
7. The 36th Session of the Codex  Committee on Pesticide Residues will continue to elaborate 
maximum residue limits for pesticides (MRLs) and extraneous maximum residue limits (EMRLs) in 
or on foods and feeds moving in internationa l trade and revise or recommend to revoke, if 
appropriate, existing MRLs/EMRLs  based on its previous discussi ons and recommendations made by 
the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Resi dues (JMPR). The Committee will also discuss the 
risk analysis policies in the elaboration of Code x standards as it relates to the establishment of 
MRLs/EMRLs. From nomination to final establishment of the official Codex MRLs it may take up to 
eight years.  When during this period growers u se newer, often safer pesticides on crops that are 
destined for international markets, it might l ead to trade disruptions; the Committee will start 
considering the proposed Pilot Project for the Exam ination of National MRLs for Safer Replacement 
Pesticides i.e. the possibility of the use of nationa l MRLs as interim standards for a fixed period of 
time. This project was approved by the 26th Session of the Commission.  
8. In addition to procedural issues, the 20th Session of  the Codex Committee on General 
Principles will consider the Proposed Draft Working Prin ciples for Risk Analysis for Food Safety, 
the Proposed Draft Revised Code of Et hics for International Trade in F oods and the Definition of 
Traceability/ Product Tracing of Foodstuffs. 
9. The 5th Session of  the ad hoc  Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding  will 
consider a draft Code of Practice on Good Animal F eeding, namely the definition of "feed additive" 
and paragraphs related to traceability /product tracing and record keeping of feed and feed ingredients, 
in view of their finalization and further submission to the 27th Session of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission. 
10. 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 a ccordance with the decision of 26th Session of the Commission to 
hold annual meetings of the Commission. The 27th Session will consider, among others, draft Codex 
standards at Step 8, proposed drafts at Step 5,  proposals for new work as well as proposals to amend 
the Rules of Procedure and other texts in the Procedural Manual. 
C. MEMBERSHIP OF THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION  
11. The European Community and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have joined the Commission 
as new Members since October 2003. As of 1 March 2004, the membership of the Codex Alimentarius Commission comprises 170 member nations and one member organization.   
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