G/SPS/GEN/1605  
 
9 February  2018 
(18-0903) Page: 1/3 
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 9 February  2018, is being circulated at the request of 
the Codex  secretariat.  
 
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1  CODEX SESSIONS SINCE  THE LAST MEETING OF THE COMMI TTEE ( NOVEMBER 2017)  
 49th Codex Committee on Food Hygiene Chicago (Chicag o, United States of America, 
13-17 November 2017)  
 5th Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (Jeju, Republic 
of Korea, 27 November – 1 December 2017)  
 39th Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special D ietary Uses (Berlin, Germany, 
4-8 December 2017)  
In particular, the SPS Committee may wish to note the following:  
1.1.  The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene  concluded its work on the gener al Guidance for 
histamine control in the Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products  (CXC 52 -2003) and will 
continue with other histamine -control related amendments to CXC 52 -2003 and work on sample 
plans for histamine control. The Committee agreed to c ontinue its work on the revision of the 
General Principles of Food Hygiene  and its HACCP Annex (CXC 1 -1969). The Committee, subject to 
approval by CAC41, agreed to start new work on food allergen management, and on guidance for 
the management of microbiolo gical foodborne crises/outbreaks; and will continue discussions on 
future work on Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC).  
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 -712-49%252FReport%252FREP18_FHe.pd f 
1.2.  The Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance  agreed 
on the working principles for continuing its work on the revision of the Code of Practice to Minimize 
and Contain Antimicrobial Resistance  (CXC 61 -2005) and the development of the Guidelines on 
integrated surveillance of antimicrobial resistance. The Task Force confirmed the ongoing 
relevance of the request for scientific advice from FAO and WHO in collaboration with OIE, and 
agreed that the  immediate priorities for scientific advice to inform its work were in the areas of 
crops, environment and biocides.  
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 -804-05%252FREPORT%252FFINAL %252FREP18_AMRe.pdf  
2  FORTHCOMING CODEX ME ETINGS  
 12th Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (Utrecht, Netherlands, 12 –16 March 2018)  
 50th Codex Committee on Food Additives (Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, 26 –30 March 
2018)  
 50th Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (Haikou, China, 9 –14 April 2018)  G/SPS/GEN/1605  
 
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   24th Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (Chicago,  United States of 
America, 23–27 April 2018)  
 39th Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampl ing (Budapest, Hungary, 7 –11 May 
2018) 
 75th Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentar ius Commission (Rome, Italy, 26 –29 June 
2018)  
 41st Codex Alimentarius Commission Rome (Rome, Italy, 2 -6 July, 2018)  
 76th Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Rome, Italy, 7 July 2018)  
In particular, the SPS Committee may wish to note the following:  
2.1.  The Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods  will proceed its work on the: revision of 
maximum levels for lead in selected commodities in the General Standard for Contaminants and 
Toxins in F ood and Feed  (GSCTFF) (CXS 193 -1995); establishment of maximum levels for 
cadmium in chocolate and cocoa -derived products; establishment of maximum levels for 
methylmercury in fish; establishment of maximum level for total aflatoxins in ready -to-eat 
peanut s; establishment of maximum levels for total aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in selected spices 
(i.e. nutmeg, chili and paprika, ginger, pepper and turmeric); revision of the Code of practice for 
the prevention and reduction of dioxins and dioxin -like PCBs in food and feed  (CXC 62 -2006) to 
include non -dioxin -like PCBs; development of a Code of practice for the reduction of 3 -
monochloropropane -1,2-diol esters (3 -MCPDE) and glycidyl esters (GE) in refined oils and products 
made with refined oils, especially infan t formula; and the development of guidelines for risk 
analysis of chemicals inadvertently present in food at low levels. The Committee will also consider 
discussion papers on possible future work on the: establishment maximum level(s) for hydrocyanic 
acid and mycotoxin contamination in in cassava and cassava -based products; establishment 
maximum levels for lead for inclusion in GSCTFF; establishment of maximum levels for aflatoxins 
and sterigmatocystin contamination in cereals (including the revision of the  Code of practice for 
the prevention and reduction of mycotoxin contamination in cereals); and the development of a 
Code of practice for the prevention and reduction of cadmium contamination in cocoa.  
For the agenda  see: http://www.fao.org/fao -who-codexalimentarius/sh -
proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworksp ace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252F
Meetings%252FCX -735-12%252FINV -PA%252Fcf12_01e.pdf  
2.2.  The Codex Committee on Food Additives  will proceed with its work on food additive 
provisions of the General Standard for Food Additives  (GSFA ). The Committee will examine other 
issues related to the GSFA including: the results of the 84th meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert 
Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) as well as the specifications for the identity and purity of 
food additives; the use o f nitrates (INS 251, 252) and nitrites (INS 249, 250); and the use of the 
terms "unprocessed " and "plain" in the GSFA. The Committee will consider alignment of the food 
additive provisions of commodity standards and the endorsement of the proposals for foo d additive 
provisions in Codex standards; revision to the International Numbering System (INS) for Food 
Additives  (CXG 36 -1989); and the endorsement of the proposals for food additive provisions in 
Codex standards. The Committee will also consider the prio rity list of food additives proposed for 
evaluation by JECFA.  
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 -711-50%252Ffa50_01e.pdf  
2.3.  The Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues  will discuss maximum residue lim its for 
pesticides in food and feed and the revision of the Classification of Food and Feed  (CXM 4/1989) 
for the following commodity groups: nuts, seeds and saps; Herbs and spices; and primary feed 
commodities. The Committee will also discuss tables on exa mples of representative commodities 
for these commodity groups for inclusion in the Principles and Guidance for the Selection of 
representative commodities for the extrapolation of MRLs for pesticides to commodity group  
(CXG 84-2012) to facilitate the esta blishment of group MRLs for the aforesaid commodities/group 
of commodities. In addition, Committee will consider the possible revision of the international 
estimated short -term intake (IESTI) as well as information on national registrations of pesticides 
vis-à-vis proposals for schedules and priority lists of pesticides for evaluation by the Joint 
FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) and.  
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 -718-50%252FINV -PA%252Fpr50_01e.pdf  G/SPS/GEN/1605  
 
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  2.4.  The Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods  will discuss risk management 
recommendation (RMR) for gentian violet and maximum residues limits (MRLs) for zilpaterol 
hydrochloride, amoxicillin, ampicillin, flumethrin, lufenuron and monepantel based on the 
recommendations and outcomes of the evaluations of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on 
Food Additives (JECFA); and will define the priority list of veterinary drugs requiring JECFA 
evaluation or re -evaluation. The Co mmittee will also consider discussion papers on: MRLs for 
groups of fish species; edible offal tissues (possible definition and edible offal tissues of interest in 
international trade); the revision of the criteria for the use of multi residue analytical m ethods for 
the determination and identification of veterinary drugs in foods in CXG 71 -2009; and the 
evaluation of the rationale for the decline in new compounds to be included in the CCRVDF Priority 
List for evaluation by JECFA.  
For the agenda  see: http://www.fao.org/fao -who-codexalimentarius/sh -
proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%25 3A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252F
Meetings%252FCX -730-24%252Frv24_01e.pdf  
 
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