WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/N/PHL/161 
29 October 2012  
 (12-5900) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
   
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  PHILIPPINES  
If applicable, name of local governme nt involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  Food and Drug Administrati on, Department of Health 
Name and address (including telephone 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 :   
Food and Drug Administration 
Department of Health Civic Drive, Filinvest Corporate City Alabang, City of Muntinlupa 1781 Philippines E-mail:  bfad@bfad.gov.ph  
Tel/Fax:  842-5606; 807-0751 
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 provided in addition, where applicable):  Salt Fermented Fi sh and Shrimp. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Final Draft Standard for 
Salt Fermented Fish and Shrimp.      
6. Description of content:  This standard applies to salt fermented finfish and shrimps as 
described in Section 3.1, intended for dire ct consumption as condiment, seasoning and/or 
ingredient for food, and for further processing.  This supersedes BFAD Administrative Order 
No. 18 s. 1970: Regulations Prescribing the Standa rd of Quality and Identity (Fish or Shrimp) 
B-4.9 (Condiments, Sauces and Seasonings). This standard does not apply to fish sauce or patis, 
also produced by salt fermentation.  
This also applies to iodi zed salt used as condiment or an ingr edient in the preparation of food in 
households, food service and food manufacturing establishments. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the natu re of urgent problems  where applicable:  
Protection of human health and safety  G/TBT/N/PHL/161 
Page 2  
8. Relevant documents:    
- AOAC. 2005. Official Methods of Analysis Manual. 18th ed ., Association of Official 
Analytical Chemists (AOAC)  International. 481 North Frederick Ave. , Suite 500, 
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-2417. U.S.A;  
- BFAD. 1984. Rules and Regulation Govern ing the Labeling of Prepackaged Food 
Products Distributed in the Philippines. A.O. No. 88-B s.  1984. Bureau of Food and 
Drugs. Department of Health. Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines FInal Draft 
Standard_Bagoong; 
- BFAD. 1998. Permissible Net Content Variation in Prepack aged Food. BFAD B.C. No. 
6-A s. 1998. Bureau of Food and Drugs. Depa rtment of Health. Al abang, Muntinlupa 
City, Philippines; 
- BFAD. 2004. Revised Guidelines on Cu rrent Good Manufacturing Practice in 
Manufacturing, Packing, Repacking or Hold ing Food (A.O. No. 153 s. 2004). Bureau 
of Food and Drugs. Department of Health . Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines; 
- BFAD. 2006. Updated List of  Food Additives. B.C. No.016 s 2006. Bureau of Food 
and Drugs. Department of He alth. Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines BFAD 2007. 
Updated Standards for Iodine Level of Salt s. B. C. No. 2007- 009. Bureau of Food and 
Drugs. Department of Health. Alab ang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines; 
- Codex Alimentarius Commission. 2004. Recommended Inte rnational Code of Practice 
- General Principles of Food Hygien e (CAC/RCP 1–1969, Rev 4 (2003). Codex 
Alimentarius Commission. Food and Agricultu re Organization. Vi ale delle Terme di 
Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy; 
- Codex Alimentarius Commissi on. 2003. Code of Practice fo r Fish and Fishery Products 
(CAC/RCP 52-2003). Codex Al imentarius Commission. Food and Agriculture 
Organization. Vial e delle Terme di Caraca lla, 00100 Rome, Italy;  
- Codex Alimentarius Comm ission. 1994. Codex Alimentarius Sampling Plans for 
Prepackaged Foods (CAC/RM 42-1969) In Jo int FAO/WHO Food Standards Program: 
Codex Alimentarius Commission Volume 13 : Methods of Analysis and Sampling, 
Part II: 2nd ed. Codex Alimentarius Commis sion. Food and Agriculture Organization. 
Viale delle Terme di Ca racalla, 00100 Rome, Italy; 
- Codex Alimentarius Commission. 1993. Reco mmended International Code of Hygienic 
Practice for Low Acid and Acidified Canned Foods (CAC/RCP 23-FInal Draft 
Standard_Bagoong 1979) Rev. 2. Codex Al imentarius Commission. Food and 
Agriculture Organization. Viale delle Terme di Ca racalla, 00100 Rome, Italy; 
- Codex Alimentarius Commission, latest. Ge neral Standard on Food Additives - GSFA 
(CAC/192-1995) Codex Alimentarius Commission. Food and Agriculture 
Organization. Vi ale delle Terme di Cara calla, 00100 Rome, Italy; 
- Codex Alimentarius Comm ission, 2010 General Standard for the Labelling of 
Prepackaged Foods (CAC/1-1985).Codex Alimentarius Commission. Food and 
Agriculture Organization. Viale delle Terme di Ca racalla, 00100 Rome, Italy; 
- DOH. 2007. Philippine National Standa rds for Drinking Water 2007 (AO 2007-0012). 
Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound,  Sta. Cruz, Manila . Espejo – Hermes, 
J. 1998. Fish Processing Technology in the Tropics. Tawid Publications, Quezon City; 
- Mackie, I., R. Hardy and M. Hobbs. 1971.  Fermented Fish Prod ucts. FAO Fisheries 
Report 100. Food and Agriculture Organizati on. Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 
Rome, Italy; 
- Republic Act No. 8172: An Act Promoting Salt Iodization Nationwide and for Related G/TBT/N/PHL/161 
Page 3 
 
Purposes and Its Implementing Rules and Regulations. Published by the National 
Nutrition Council, 1996; 
- USFDA. 2001. Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) Manual On-line Edition, 
United States Food and Dr ug Administration (USFDA) Ce nter for Food Safety & 
Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Co llege Park, Maryland, USA. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/ ; 
- USFDA. 2002. Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) Manual On-line Edition, 
United States Food and Dr ug Administration (USFDA) Ce nter for Food Safety & 
Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Co llege Park, Maryland, USA. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/ ; 
- Whittle, J. and P. Howgate. 2002. Gl ossary of Fish Technology Terms; 
- Fisheries Industries Division. Food and Agri culture Organization. Viale delle Terme di 
Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   This order shall take e ffect 15 days after its 
publication in an official gazette of general circulation. 
10. Final date for comments:  18 December 2012 
11. Text available from:  National  enquiry point [X], or addres s, telephone and fax numbers, 
e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body: