G/SPS/N/MAR/53  
7 November  2017 
(17-6049) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original:  French  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member : MOROCCO  
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible : Office national de sécurité sanitaire des produits alimentaires , 
ONSSA (National Office for Food Safety)  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO ; ICS numbers should be provided in addition 
where applicable) : Honey 
4. Regions or countries likely to be  affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  
[X] All trading partners  
[ ] Specific regions or countries:  
5. Title of the notified document : Projet de décret relatif à la sécurité sanitaire et la 
qualité du miel et des produits de la ruche commercial isés (Draft Decree on the safety and 
quality of honey and apicultural products available on the market ) Language(s) : French 
Number of pages : 5 
6. Description of content : The notified draft Decree on the safety and quality of honey and 
apicultural products available on the market will provide Morocco with a regulatory text 
defining different types of honey and apicultural products and their physico -chemical 
characteristics . It has the following objectives:  
 To enable ONSSA control services to ensure the conformity of marketed or imported 
products;  
 To further motivate operators to produce high -quality honey and apicultural products 
and to create sector competitiveness to the be nefit of consumers wanting these 
types of products;  
 To provide inspectors with a control tool enabling them to fulfil their task on the 
basis of national regulatory arguments.  This regulatory tool will serve as a filter at 
border inspection points during t he importation of honey and apicultural products;  
 To ensure consumers are informed of the origin of honey and apicultural products, 
whether locally produced or imported . Consumers are thus better informed to make 
better choices with regard to products on t he market.  
7. Objective and rationale : [X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, [ ] 
protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  
8. Is there a relevant international standard ? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) : 
[ ] World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. T errestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) : G/SPS/N/MAR/53  
- 2 - 
  [ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. I SPM number) : 
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[ ] Yes [ ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : 30 June 2 017 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : 30 June 2 017 
11. Proposed date of entry into force : [ ] Six months from date of publication, and/or 
(dd/mm/yy) : 30 June 2 017 
[X] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments : [X] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 6 January 2 018 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments : [X] National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point . Address, fax number and email address (if 
available) of other body:  
Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires (ONSSA)  
Direction de l'Évalu ation des Risques et des Affaires Juridiques  
Avenue Hadj Ahmed Cherkaoui  
Agdal Rabat  
Tel.: (+212) 53 767 6510/11  
Mobile : (+212) 67 399 7803  
Fax: (+212) 53 768 2049  
13. Text(s) available from : [X] National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point . Address, fax number and email address (if available) of other body:  
Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires (ONSSA)  
Direction de l'Évaluation des Risques et des Affaires Juridiques  
Avenue Hadj Ahmed Cherkaoui  
Agdal Rabat  
Tel.: (+212) 53 767 6510/11  
Mobile : (+212) 67 399 7803  
Fax: (+212) 53 768 2049