G/TBT/N/BHR/304  
 
21 May 2013  
(13-2606)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
NOTIFICATION 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  Standards & Metrology Directorate (BSMD) 
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 :   
Ministry of Industry and Commerce 
P.O. Box: 5479, Kingdom of Bahrain 
Tel: +973 17574880  Fax:  +973 17530730 E-mail: bsmd@moic.gov.bh . 
Website:  http://www.moic.gov.bh  
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):  
Food packages - Part 2: Plastic package - General requirements, (ICS 67.040). 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Food packages - 
Part 2: Plastic package - General requirements, (89 pages in Arabic, 86 pages in English). G/TBT/N/BHR/304 
 
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  6. Description of content:  This draft technical regulation specifies the requirements 
stated in the Gulf standard GSO "Croissant" under clauses 4 & 8 (general requirements & labelling) as mandatory requirements; such that all plastic raw materials used in 
manufacturing food packages shall be of known origin and composition to avoid use of 
scrap or pre-used raw materials, shall be clean and homogeneous, free from any foreign materials, swelling or air pockets, shall not cause any hazards to consumer health and 
shall not be affected by heat during filling, closing, storing, transportation, or handling, 
in a way that deform them or change their composition, chemical or physical properties; or increase probabilities of reactions and migrations of monomers or additive materials 
within the permissible levels. In addition, the package shall have the ability of attaining 
tight closure (or sealing) when hermetic sealing used as a sterilizable package for food materials. The overall migration less than 10 mg/dm2 or 60 mg/kg. 
Also it describes the following requirements that shall be declared on the label such as: 
- Type of plastic material; 
- Weight, capacity, number, or dimensions based on the type of packages; 
- Statement of "Food Grade" and glass-and-fork symbol; 
- Purpose and type of application; 
- Directions for usage; - Warnings if applicable;  
- Labelling and adjoining explanatory statements shall be in Arabic and, where 
another language is used, it shall be alongside the Arabic. All the information 
provided in another language shall be identical with those written in Arabic.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  To maintain consumer protection and food safety.  
8. Relevant documents:    
- GSO 1863 "Food packages - Part 2: Plastic package - General requirements"; 
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 of 14 January 2011 on plastic materials 
and articles intended to come into contact with food; 
- BS EN 13130-3:2004 Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs - plastics 
substances subject to limitation. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    To be determined To be determined 
10. Final date for comments:  60 days from the notification date 
11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresse s, if available of the other body: