G/TBT/N/CHE/205  
3 September 2015  
(15-4458)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: French  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Notifying Member: SWITZERLAND 
If applicable, name of local governme nt involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible: Office fédéral de la sécurité alimentaire et des affaires vétérinaires , 
OSAV (Federal Office for Food Se curity and Veterinary Affairs) 
Name and address (including telephon e and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:  
Secrétariat d'Etat à l'économie , SECO (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs) 
Holzikofenweg 36 3003 Berne 
Fax: +41 (0)58 464 09 58 
Email: tbt@seco.admin.ch  
Website: http://www.seco.admin.ch/  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2. 10.1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ],  5.7.1 [ ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provid ed in addition where applicable):  
 Food 
 Vitamins, minerals and certain other substances found in food 
 Additives 
 Flavourings and food ingredients with flavouring properties 
5. Title, number of pages and lang uage(s) of the notified document:  
 Ordonnance sur l'adjonction de vitamines, de sels minéraux et de certaines autres 
substances aux denrées alimentaires  (Ordinance on the addition of vitamins, 
minerals and certain other substances to food) (13 pages) 
 Ordonnance sur les additifs  (Ordinance on additives) (44 pages) 
 Ordonnance sur les arômes et les ingrédients alimentaires possédant des propriétés 
aromatiques  (Ordinance on flavourings and food ingredients with flavouring 
properties) (162 pages) 
 Ordonnance sur les procédés technologiques et les auxiliaires technologiques utilisés 
pour le traitement des denrées alimentaires  (Ordinance on technological procedures 
and processing aids used in food processing) (16 pages) 
Language(s) of the notified document: German, French and Italian G/TBT/N/CHE/205 
- 2 - 
  6. Description of content:  
 The Ordinance on the addition of vitamins, minerals and certain other substances to 
food is based on the Ordinance on the a ddition of essential or physiologically 
beneficial substances to foods. A new provision has been introduced which states that substances should be bio-available. 
 Ordinance on additives: Small changes have been made so that Swiss legislation is 
more closely harmonized with that of its main economic partner (the European 
Union). 
 Ordinance on flavourings and food ingredients with flavouring properties: Under the 
new food law, flavourings are categorized as ingredients and should, in accordance 
with the legislation of Switzerland's main economic partner (the European Union), be governed by a specific Ordinance. 
 The Ordinance on technological procedures and processing aids used in food 
processing would govern the technical procedures and processing aids used to process food. Until now, authorized residues of extraction solvents were listed in the Ordinance on foreign substances and components. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  
 Protection of consumer health and protection against deception. 
 Harmonization with the legislation of the main economic partner (the European 
Union). 
8. Relevant documents: The draft technical regulation can be downloaded from the 
complete draft revision of the legislation on food and basic commodities: 
http://www.blv.admin.ch/dokumentation /01013/05845/05846/inde x.html?lang=fr 
9. Proposed date of adoption: Mid-2016 
Proposed date of entry into force: Mid-2016  
10. Final date for comments: 30 November 2015 
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresse s, if available, of other body:  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/CHE/15_3451_00_f.pdf 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/CHE/15_3451_01_f.pdf 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/CHE/15_3451_02_f.pdf 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachme nts/2015/TBT/CHE/15_3451_03_f.pdf