WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/881 
3 October 2008 
 (08-4699) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF THE  
CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION 
 
Submission by the Codex Alimentarius Commission
 
Meeting of 8-9 October 2008  
 
  The following communication, dated 1 October 2008, is being circulated at the request of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
. 
 
_______________ 
  CODEX SESSIONS SINCE THE LAST MEETIN G OF THE SPS COMMITTEE (24-25 JUNE 
2008)  
- The 61
st Session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
(Geneva, Switzerland, 25-28 June 2008)  
- The 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Geneva, Switzerland, 30 June-
4 July 2008)  
- The 24th Session of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (Washington 
D.C, United States of America, 15-19 September 2008)  
In particular, the SPS Committee may wish to  draw its attention to the following: 
 1. The Thirty-first Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission , among others:   
• Adopted 35 new or revised Codex standards or related texts ( see Appendix I );  
• Approved a number of new work proposals and proposals for discontinuation of work ( see 
Appendix II );   
• Agreed to postpone decision of possible new work on animal feeding until its 32nd Session;   
• Agreed to postpone consideration of the issu e of the use of the lactoperoxidase system 
until its 32nd Session; 
• Supported continued cooperati on and coordination with inte rnational governmental and 
non-governmental organizations; G/SPS/GEN/881 
Page 2  
 
  • Elected the following Officers of the Commission: 
- Chairperson : Ms Karen Hulebak (USA) 
- Vice-Chairpersons : Mr Sanjay Dave (India), Mr Ben Manyindo (Uganda), and Mr 
Knud Østergaard (Denmark).   
The full report of the meeting is available at: http://www.codexalimentarius.net  or at 
ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/Alinorm07/al30REPe.pdf . 
FORTHCOMING CODEX MEETINGS 
 
- The 2nd Session of the Ad hoc  Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial 
Resistance  (Seoul, Republic of Korea, 20-24 October) 
- The 30th Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses 
(Cape Town, South Africa, 3-7 November 2008) 
- The 17th Session of the  Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and 
Certification Systems (Cebu, Philippines, 24-28 November 2008)  
- The 40th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (Guatemala City, Guatemala, 
1-5 December  2008) 
- The 21st Session of the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, 
16-20 February 2009)  
- The 30th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (Budapest, 
Hungary, 9-13 March 2009)  
- The 41st Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (Beijing, China, 16-20 March 
2009)  
- The 3rd Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Fo ods (The Hague, Netherlands, 
23-27 March 2009)  
- The 26th Session of the Codex Committee on General Principles (Paris, France, 30 March-
3 April 2009)  
- The 41st Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (Beijing, China, 20-25 April 
2009)  
2. The Second Session of the  Ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial 
Resistance  will consider three working documents on risk assessment guidance regarding food-borne 
antimicrobial resistant micro-organisms, guidance on creating risk profiles for antimicrobial resistant 
food-borne micro-organisms for setting risk assess ment and management priorities,  and risk 
management guidance to contain food-borne antim icrobial resistant micro-organisms and comments 
submitted by the members and observers of  the Codex Alimentarius Commission. 
3. The Fortieth Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene  will consider among others 
four proposed drafts: Microbiological Criteria for Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Foods; 
Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter and Salmonella  spp. in Chicken Meat; an Annex on 
Leafy Green Vegetables including Leafy Herbs for in clusion in the Code of Hygienic Practice for  G/SPS/GEN/881 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Fresh Fruits and Vegetables; and a Code of Hygienic Practice for Vibrio spp. in Seafood. The 
Committee will also consider the Microbiological  Criteria for Powdered Follow-up Formula and 
Formulas for Special Medical Purposes for Young Child ren (Annex to the Code of Hygienic Practice 
for Powdered Formulae for Infants and Young Children). 
4. The Forty-first Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives will discuss the 
proposed maximum levels for food additives and processi ng aids in Codex Standards, the Inventory of 
Substances used as Processing Aids (IPA), the Pr oposals for Changes and/or Additions to the 
International Numbering System (INS) for Food Ad ditives, the Specifications  for the Identity and 
Purity of Food Additives, and the Priority List of  Food Additives Proposed for Evaluation by JECFA.  
5. The Third Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods will continue to 
consider the proposed drafts on the Code of Pract ice for the Reduction of Acrylamide in Food and on 
the Code of Practice for the Reduction of Cont amination of Food with Polycyclic Aromatic 
Hydrocarbons (PAH) from Smoking and Direct Dr ying Processes. New work will start on the 
maximum levels for total aflatoxins in Brazil nuts,  and the code of practice for the prevention and 
reduction of ochratoxin-A contaminatio n in coffee, as approved by the 31st Commission as new work, 
will be also discussed. 
6. The 25th Session of the  Codex Committee on General Principles will consider the  Proposed 
Draft Revised Code of Ethics for International Trade in Foods, and review the Principles on INGO 
participation as well as the Risk Analysis Policies of Codex Committees. It will also discuss issues 
related to "consensus" in Codex. 
7. The 41st Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues will discuss draft MRLs for 
certain compounds and commodities and continue to work on the revision of the Codex Classification 
of Foods and Animal Feed. In addition, the Committee will consider how to facilitate the 
establishment of Codex MRLs for minor uses and speci alty crops and the revision of the Guidelines 
on the Estimation of Measurement Uncertainty to provide practical guidance on the estimation and application of measurement uncertainty  in pesticide residue analysis.  
8. Besides, six FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees  will hold their sessions in their 
respective regions between October 2008 and March 2009.  They will consid er Codex matters of 
interest to the region, promote exchange of inform ation within the region on food legislation and food 
control issues, define the problems and needs of the region concerning food standards and food 
control, and exercise a general coordinating role fo r the region in these areas. Specifically, they will 
also identify issues related to the use or non-use of  Codex standards and related texts at the national 
and regional levels.  
9. Their dates and venues are as follows: 
(a) The 26
th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinatin g Committee for Europe (Warsaw, 
Poland, 7-10 October 2008); 
(b) The 10th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and 
South West Pacific (Nuku Alofa, Tonga, 27-30 October 2008);  
(c) The 16th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Latin America and 
the Caribbean (Acapulco, Mexico, 10-14 November 2008); 
(d) The 16th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordina ting Committee for Asia (Denpasar, 
Indonesia, 17-21 November 2008); G/SPS/GEN/881 
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  (e) The 5
th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Near East (Tunis, 
Tunisia, 26-29 January 2009);  and  
(f) The 18th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa (Accra, 
Ghana, 24-27 February 2009). 
 
_______________ 
  G/SPS/GEN/881 
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  Appendix I 
LIST  OF STANDARDS  AND  RELATED  TEXTS  ADOPTED  BY THE  THIRTY-FIRST  
SESSION  OF THE  CODEX  ALIMENTARIUS  COMMISSION 
Part 1 – Standards and Related Texts Adopted at Step 8 
Standards and Related Texts  Reference 
Maximum Levels for 3-MCPD in Liquid Condiments containing Acid-
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Proteins (Excluding Naturally Fermented Soy 
Sauce) (N08-2004)  ALINORM 08/31/41 
Appendix III 
Code of Practice for the Reduction of 3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) during the Production of Acid-Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein 
(Acid-HVPs) and Products that Contain Acid- HVPs (N09-2005)  ALINORM 08/31/41 
Appendix IV 
Maximum Level for Ochratoxin A in Raw Wheat, Barley and Rye  ALINORM 08/31/41 
Appendix VII 
Maximum Levels for Total Aflato xins in Almonds, Hazelnuts and 
Pistachios “For further pro cessing” and “Ready-to-eat”  ALINORM 08/31/41 
Appendix VIII 
Food additive provisions of the General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) (CODEX STAN 192-1995)  ALINORM 08/31/12 
Appendix VII 
Guidelines for the Use of Flavourings  (N03-2006) (with the exception of 
Section 4)  ALINORM 08/31/12 
Appendix X 
Revision of the Codex Class Names and International Numbering Systems  
(CAC/GL 36-1989) (N03-2006)   ALINORM 08/31/12 
Appendix XII 
Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs and relevant Definitions)  ALINORM 08/31/18 
Appendix II 
Standard for Raw and Live Bivalve Molluscs  ALINORM 08/31/18 
Appendix III 
Standard for Tomatoes  ALINORM 08/31/35 
Appendix II 
Amendment to the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods: Annex 1 (inclusion of ethylene) 
(N10-2006)   ALINORM 08/31/22 
Appendix II 
Amendment to the General Standard  for the Labelling of Prepackaged 
Foods: Quantitative Declarat ion of Ingredients   ALINORM 08/31/22 
Appendix IV 
Amendment to the Guidelines for Use of Nutrition and Health Claims (Definition of Adver tising) (N11-2006)  ALINORM 08/31/22 
Appendix V 
Model Export Certificate for Milk and Milk Products  ALINORM 08/31/11 
Appendix III 
Revised Codex Standard for Foods fo r Special Dietary Use for Persons 
Intolerant to Gluten (CODEX STAN 118-1981)  ALINORM 08/31/26 
Appendix III 
Advisory Lists of Nutrient Compou nds for Use in Foods for Special 
Dietary Uses Intended for Infants and Young Children (CAC/GL 10-1979)  ALINORM 08/31/26 
Appendix IV 
Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides  ALINORM 08/31/24 
Appendix II 
Maximum Residues Limits (MRLs) for Veterinary Drugs (colistin)   ALINORM 08/31/31 
Appendix II 
 
Part 2 – Standards and Related Texts Adopted at Step 5/8 (with omission of Steps 6 and 7)  
Standards and Related Texts  Reference 
Aflatoxin Sampling Plans for Aflatoxi n Contamination in Ready-to-eat 
Treenuts and Treenuts Destined for Further Processing: Almonds, 
Hazelnuts and Pist achios (N07-2004)  ALINORM 08/31/41 
Appendix IX 
Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin 
Contamination in Dried Figs (N10-2007)   ALINORM 08/31/41 
Appendix XI G/SPS/GEN/881 
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  Standards and Related Texts  Reference 
Food additive provisions of the General Standard for Food Additives 
(GSFA) (CODEX STAN 192-1995)  ALINORM 08/31/12 
Appendix VII 
Revision of the Food Category System of the GSFA (N11-2007)  ALINORM 08/31/12 
Appendix IX 
Guidelines for the Use of  Flavourings (N03-2006)  (Section 4)  ALINORM 08/31/12 
Appendix X 
Amendments to the International Numbering System for Food Additives 
(CAC/GL 36-1989)  ALINORM 08/31/12 
Appendix XII 
Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives arising from the 68
th JECFA meeting (CAC/MISC 6)  ALINORM 08/31/12 
Appendix XIII, Part 1 
Code of Hygienic Practice for Powdered Formulae for Infants and Young 
Children   ALINORM 08/31/13 
Appendix II 
Guideline for the Validation of Food Safety Control Measures  ALINORM 08/31/13 
Appendix III   
Annex II on the Guidance on Microbiological Risk Management Metrics 
to the Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of Microbiological Risk 
Management  ALINORM 08/31/13 
Appendix IV 
Appendix to the Guidelines on the Judgement of Equivalence of Sanitary 
Measures Associated with Food Inspection and Certification Systems 
(N04-2004)  ALINORM 08/31/30 
Appendix II 
Amendment to the List of Additives of the Codex Standard for Creams 
and Prepared Creams  (CODEX STAN A-9-1976) (N08-2006)   ALINORM 08/31/11 
Appendix V 
Amendment to Sections 3.2 and 6.3.2 of the Codex Standard for Natural 
Mineral Waters  (CODEX STAN 108-1981) (N12-2007)  ALINORM 08/31/20 
Appendix II 
Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides  ALINORM 08/31/24 
Appendix III 
Maximum Residues Limits (MRLs) for Veterinary Drugs (erythromycin)  ALINORM 08/31/31 
Appendix III 
Guideline for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived 
from Recombinant-DNA Animals (N01-2006)  ALINORM  08/31/34 
Appendix II 
Annex on Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-
DNA Plants Modified for Nutritional or Health Benefits (N02-2006)  ALINORM  08/31/34 
Appendix III 
Annex on Food Safety Assessment in Situations of Low-level Presence of Recombinant-DNA Plant Material in Food (N07-2007)  ALINORM
 08/31/34 
Appendix IV 
Recommended International Code of Practice for the Processing and Handling of Quick Frozen Foods   ALINORM 08/31/25 
Appendix II 
 
Part 3 – Other Standards and Related Texts Adopted  
Standards and Related Texts  Reference 
Amendment to the provisions for colours of the General Standard for Food 
Additives (GSFA)  ALINORM 08/31/12 
Appendix VII 
Methods of Analysis in Codex  ALINORM 08/31/23 
Appendix III 
Maximum Levels for Annatto Extracts in Codex Standards for Milk and Milk Products, including consequential changes to the provision for beta-carotene 
(vegetable)   ALINORM 08/31/11 
Appendix II 
Food Additive Listings of the Standard for Fermented Milks  (CODEX STAN 
243-2003)*  ALINORM 08/31/11 
Appendix VI 
* As endorsed by the Committee on Food Additives  G/SPS/GEN/881 
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  Appendix  II 
LIST  OF DRAFT  STANDARDS  AND  RELATED  TEXTS  APPROVED  AS NEW  WORK  BY 
THE  THIRTY-FIRST  SESSION  OF THE  CODEX  ALIMENTARIUS  COMMISSION 
 
Responsible 
Body Standard and Related Texts 
CCRVDF Priority List of Veterinary Drugs for Evaluation or Re-evaluation by JECFA 
TFAMR Science-based Risk Assessment Guidance Re garding Food-borne Anti microbial Resistant 
Microorganisms 
TFAMR Risk Management Guidance to Contain Food-borne Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms 
TFAMR Guidance on Creating Risk Profiles for Antimicrobial Resistant Food-borne Microorganisms 
for Setting Risk Assessment and Management Priorities 
CCFH Commodity-Specific Annexes to the Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and 
Vegetables (CAC/RCP 53-2003) 
CCFH Code of Hygienic Practice for Vibrio  Species in Seafood 
CCNFSDU Revision of Nutrient Reference Values of V itamins and Minerals in the Guidelines for 
Nutrition Labelling (CAC/GL 2-1985) 
CCFICS Principles and Guidelines for the Conduc t of Foreign on-Site Audits and Inspections 
CCFICS Annex to the Guidelines for Design, Production, Issuance and Use of Generic Official 
Certificates (CAC/GL 38-2001): Ge neric Model Health Certificate 
CCMAS Guidelines on Criteria for Methods for the Detection and Identification of Foods Derived 
from  Biotechnology 
CCMAS Revision of the Guidelines on M easurement Uncertainty (CAC/GL 54-2004) 
CCCF Priority List of Contaminants and Naturally  Occurring Toxicants Proposed for Evaluation by 
JECFA 
CCCF Maximum Levels for Total Aflatoxins in Brazil Nuts 
CCCF Code of Practice for the Prevention and Redu ction of Ochratoxin A Contamination in Coffee 
CCPR Priority List for Chemicals Scheduled for Evaluation and Re-evaluation by JMPR 
CCPR Revision of Guidelines on Estimation of Uncertainty of Results (CAC/GL 59-2006) 
CCPR Revision of the Risk Analysis Principles applied by the Codex Committee on Pesticide 
Residues 
CCFA Priority List of Food Additives proposed for Evaluation by JECFA 
CCFA Guidelines and Principles for Substances used as Processing Aids  
CCFL Amendment to the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of 
Organically Produced Foods (CAC/GL 32-1999) – Rotenone 
CCFL Revision of the Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling (CAC/GL 2-1985) – Implementation of 
the Global Strategy for Diet, Physical Activity and Health 
CCFFV Standard for Chilli Peppers 
CCFFV Standard for Tree Tomato 
CCFFV Revision of the Standard for Avocado (CODEX STAN 197-1995) 
 
 
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