WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/1079 
24 March 2011 
 (11-1467) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES 
 
Communication from the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex)
 
  
 The following communication, received on 23 Marc h 2011, is being circulated at the request 
of the Codex
 secretariat. 
 
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I. CODEX SESSIONS SINCE THE LAST MEETING OF THE SPS COMMITTEE  
(20-21 OCTOBER 2010) 
 
• Ad hoc  Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial  Resistance (Muju, Republic of Korea, 
18-22 October 2010) 
• Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetabl es (Bali, Indonesia, 25-29 October 2010)  
• Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Spec ial Dietary Uses (Santiago, Chile,  
1-5 November 2010)  
• FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (Acapulco, 
Mexico, 8-12 November 2010)  
• FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Asia (Bali, Indonesia, 22-26 November 2010)  
• Committee on Food Hygiene (Kampala, Uganda, 29 November - 3 December 2010) 
• FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Afri ca (Ghana, Accra, 1-4 February 2011)  
• Committee on Fats and Oils (Pena ng, Malaysia, 21-25 February 2011)  
• Committee on Food Additives (Xiamen, China, 14-18 March 2011) 
 1. The Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task For ce on Antimicrobial Resistance
 finalised work on the 
Guidelines for Risk Analysis of Foodborne Antimic robial Resistance.  With the completion of the 
Guidelines, the Task Force has completed th e task assigned to it by the Commission. 
2. The Committee on Food Hygiene  finalised work on the Guid elines for the Control of 
Campylobacter and Salmonella  spp. in Chicken Meat and on the revision of the Recommended 
International Code of Hygienic Practice for Co llecting, Processing and Marketing of Natural Mineral 
Waters  (CAC/RCP 33-1985).  The Committee also agr eed to new work on the development of 
Guidelines for Control of Specifi c Zoonotic Parasites in Meat:  Trichinella spiralis  and Cysticercus 
bovis and on an Annex on Melons to the Code of Hygienic Practice fo r Fresh Fruits and Vegetables  
(CAC/RCP 53-2003), subject to the approval by the 34th Session of the Commission. G/SPS/GEN/1079 
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  3. FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees
 consider Codex matters of interest to the region, 
promote exchange of information within the region  on Codex, food legislation and food control 
issues.  They define the problems and needs of the region concerning food standards and food control, 
and some of them develop regional standards for pr oducts that may not be traded internationally but 
for which there is significant regional trade.  The 33rd Session of the Commission forwarded questions 
on general issues to the Coordinating Committees in pa rticular:  the mid-term review of the Trust 
Fund, the development of the new Strategic Plan fo r the CAC, and the use of private standards.  
4. FAO and WHO generally convene regional workshops on issues of interest to the region in 
conjunction with the Coordinating Committees,  and with funding from the Trust Fund.  
5. The Committee on Fats and Oils  finalised the update of the  Code of Practice for the 
Transport and Storage of Fats and Oils in Bulk :  criteria to aassess the acceptability of substances as 
previous acceptable cargoes and lists of acceptable previous cargoes.  
6. The Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling  finalised the revision of the current 
Guidelines on Measurement Uncertainty , endorsed a large number of methods and agreed to 
undertake new work on principles for the use of samp ling and testing in international food trade. 
7. The Codex Committee on Food Additives  finalised work on a number of food additives 
provisions for inclusion in the Codex General Standard for Food Additives  (GSFA) It also clarified 
the section on carry-over principles of the Preamble  of the GSFA and revised the food categories 
related to confectionary products of the GSFA.  The Committee advanced work on the revision of the 
Codex Standard for Food Grade Salt  (CODEX STAN 150-1985) and finalised a number of 
specifications for food additives and flavourings, pr epared by JECFA, and of amendments to the 
International Numbering Systems of Food Additives . 
II. FORTHCOMING CODEX MEETINGS 
 
• Committee on Contaminants in Foods (T he Hague, Netherla nds, 21-25 March 2011) 
• Committee on Pesticide Residues (Beijing, China, 4-9 April 2011)  
• Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (Tromso, Norway, 11-16 April 2011)  
• Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (Mexico City, Mexico, 2-6 May 2011)  
• Committee on Food Labelling (Que bec, Canada, 9-13 May 2011)  
• FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Near East (Tunis, Tunisia, 23-27 May 2011)  
• Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius  Commission (Geneva, Switzerland, 28 June 
to 1 July 2011) 
• Codex Alimentarius Commission (Geneva, Switzerland, 4-9 July 2011) 
8. The Committee on Contaminants in Foods  will continue developing a Code of Practice for the 
Reduction of Ethyl Carbamate in Stone Fruit Distil lates;  Maximum Levels for Melamine in Food 
(liquid infant formula );  Maximum Levels for Deoxynivalenol (DON) and its  Acetylated Derivatives 
in Cereals and Cereal-based Products;  Maximu m Levels for Total Aflatoxins in Dried Figs. 
9. The committee will also review discussion papers on Mycotoxins in Sorghum, Arsenic in 
Rice, Guidance for Risk Management Options on How to Deal with the Results from New Risk 
Assessment Methodologies, Ochratoxin A in Co co, Fura and Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids.   G/SPS/GEN/1079 
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  10. The committee will also discuss endorsement of  Provisions for Health -related Limits for 
Certain Substances in the Standard for Natural Minera l Waters and the Priority List of Contaminants 
and Naturally Occurring Toxicants Proposed for Evaluation by JECFA. 
11. The Committee on Pesticide Residues  will discuss Draft and Proposed Draft Maximum 
Residue Limits for Pesticides in Foods and Feeds.  
12. The committee will continue to revise or consid er revisions to:  the Codex Classification of 
Foods and Animal Feeds ;  the Guidelines on the Estimation of Uncertainty of Results for the 
Determination of Pesticide Residues;  and the Risk Analysis Principles applied by the Codex 
Committee on Pesticide Residues. 
13. The committee will continue the development of Principles and Guidance for the Selection of 
Representative Commodities for the Extrapolation of Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides for 
Commodity Group. 
14. The Committee will also review discussion pape rs on:  the Application of Proportionality in 
Selecting data for MRL estimation;  Guidance to facilitate the establishment of Maximum Residue 
Limits for Pesticides for Minor Use and Specialty Crops;  how to address methods of analysis for 
pesticide residues by the Codex Committee on Pes ticide Residues JMPR;  Resource Issues in the 
Provision of Scientific Advice to CCPR;  and the assessment of MRLs for Pesticides in Tea. 
15. The committee will further discuss the Establishmen t of Codex Priority Lists of Pesticides 
and will consider the status of Codex MRLs for Lindane. 
16. The Committee on Fish and Fishery Products  will consider the Draft Standard for Smoked 
Fish, Smoke-Flavoured Fish and Smoke-Dried Fish and an associated section on smoked fish in the 
Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products, a Proposed Draft Standard for Quick Frozen Scallop 
Adductor Muscle Meat and a Code of Practice on the Processing of Scallop Meat, the Revision of the 
Procedure for the Inclusion of Additional Species  in Standards for Fish and Fishery Products, a 
Proposed Draft List of Methods for the Determinati on of Biotoxins, a Proposed draft Standard for 
Fresh/Live and Frozen Abalone of the Haliotis species, a Proposed Draft Amendment to the Standard 
for Quick Frozen Fish Sticks in relation to n itrogen factors;  and food additives provisions in 
standards on fish and fishery products. 
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