G/SPS/GEN/1734  
 
16 October 2019  
(19-6728) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
INFORMATION ON ACTIV ITIES  
COMMUNICATION FROM T HE CODEX ALIMENTARIU S COMMISSION (CODEX)  
The following communication, received on 15 October  2019, is being c irculated at the request of 
the Codex  secretariat.  
 
_______________  
 
 
1  CODEX SESSIONS SINCE  THE LAST MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE (JUNE 2019 ) 
• 77th Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Geneva, Switzerland, 
1-5 July 2019)  
• 42nd Codex Alimentarius Commission (Geneva, Switzerland, 8 –12 July 2019)  
• 23rd FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Af rica (Nairobi, Kenya, 2 –6 September 2019)  
• 15th FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and South West Pacific (Port Vila, 
Vanuatu, 16 – 20 September 2019)  
• 21st FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Asia (Goa, India, 23 –27 September 2019)  
• 31st FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Europe (Almaty, Kazakhstan, 30 September – 
4 October 2019)  
In particular, the SPS Committee may wish to note the following:  
1.1.  The Codex Alimentarius Commission  adopted a number of standards and other texts, 
including maximum re sidue limits (MRLs) for 32 different pesticides in various foods and feeds; 
154 food additive provisions in the General Standard for Food Additives  (CXS 192 -1995), revised 
food-additive sections of a number of Codex commodity standards, revisions to the Class Names 
and the International Numbering System for Food Additives and the Specifications for the Identity 
and Purity of Food Additives  (CXS36 -1989); revision of the existing maximum levels (MLs) for lead 
in selected commodities in the General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed  
(CXS 193 -1995), the Code of practice for the reduction of 3 -MCPDEs and GEs in refined oils and food 
products made with refined oils; Guidelines for rapid risk analysis following instances of detection of 
contaminants in food where there is no regulatory level; a Standard for dried or dehydrated garlic ; 
and provisions for almond, flaxseed, hazelnut, pistachio , and walnut oils , as well as palm oil with a 
higher content of Oleic acid (OXG) in the Standard for Named Vegetable Oils  (CXS 210 -1999).  
Full Report:  http://www.fao.org/fao -who-codexalimentarius/sh -
proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252F
Meetings%252FCX -701-42%252 FReport%252FREP19_CACe_Final.pdf  
2  FORTHCOMING CODEX ME ETINGS  
• 51st Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America , 
4-8 November 2019)  
• 10th FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Near East ( Rome, Italy , 11–15 November 2019 ) 
• 41st Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (Dusseldorf, 
Germany, 24 –29 November 2019)  
• 7th Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (Pyeongchang, 
Republic of Korea, 9 –13 December 2019)  G/SPS/GEN/1734  
 
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  In particular, the SPS  Committee may wish to note the following:  
2.1.  The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene  will proceed with its work on the revision of the 
General Principles of Food Hygiene  and its HACCP Annex (CXC 1 -1969). The Committee will also 
continue to work on the draft code of practice on food allergen management for food business 
operators, guidance for the management of biological foodborne outbreaks and guidelines for the 
control of Shiga toxin -producing Escherichia coli  (STEC) in beef, raw milk and cheese produced from 
raw milk, leafy greens, and sprouts.  
For the agenda  see http://www.fao.org/fao -who-codexalimentarius/sh -
proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252F
Meetings%252FCX -712-51%252Ffh51_01e.pdf . 
2.2.  The Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance  will 
discuss the revision of the Code of Practice to Minimize and Contain Antimicrobial Resistance  
(CXC 61-2005) and will also discuss the development of the Guidelines on integrated surve illance of 
antimicrobial resistance.  
For the agenda  see http://www.fao.org/fao -who-codexalimentarius/sh -
proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252F
Meetings%252FCX -804-07%252FINV -PA%252Famr07_01e.pdf . 
2.3.  Codex Strategic Plan 2020 -2025 . CAC42 adopted the new Codex Strategic Plan  for the next 
six years. Building on the previous strategic plan , this one includes an additional goal to Increase 
impact through the recognition and use of Codex standards . This aims to increase activities to create 
awareness of Codex standards, increase their use and develop a mechanism to measure the impact 
of their use. An implementation work plan is currently under development and there will be outreach 
to both members  and Observers requesting input to the work plan before CAC43. The Codex 
Secretariat also welcomes direct feedback from members  and Observers on their experiences with 
using Codex standards to inform case studies in this area.  
2.4.  Statements of Principles  concerning the role of Science in the Codex Decision -making 
Process and the Extent to Whi ch Other Factors are Taken into Account . The mission of Codex is to 
protect consumer health and promote fair practices in the food trade by setting international science -
based food safety and quality standards .1 The Codex Secretariat recently developed a p aper on the 
history and implications of the Statements of Principle2, following concerns of some members  
regarding their application. To address these concerns , work is now underway to develop guidance 
on the operationalization of these standards.  
 
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1 From the Codex Strategic Plan 2020 -2024 available here : 
http://www.fao.org/3/ca5645en/CA5645EN.pdf . 
2 Paper available here : http://www.fao.org/fao -who-codexalimentarius/sh -
proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=http s%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252FMeetings%2
52FCX -702-77%252Fex77_10e.pdf .