. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/ARG/230 
16 October 2007 
 (07-4463) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   ARGENTINA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:   Comisión Nacional de Alimentos , CONAL (National Food 
Commission) 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, E-mail and website 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:   Enquiry point 
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):   Cocoa, chocolate and 
coatings thereof 
5. Title, number of pages and lang uage(s) of the notified document:   Proyecto de 
Resolución "Código Alimentario Argentino – Capítulo XV – Productos Estimulantes o fruitivos:  Cacao, chocolate y coberturas" (Draft Resolution:  "Argentine Food Code – 
Chapter XV – Stimulating or pleasure-giving products:  Cocoa, chocolate and coatings 
thereof ") (43 pages, in Spanish). 
6. Description of content:   The Draft Resolution incorporat es cocoa products (cocoa paste, 
mass and liquor; cocoa press cake and defa tted cocoa press cake;  cocoa powder and 
defatted cocoa powder), alkalinized or alkalin e, into Chapter XV of the Argentine Food 
Code and establishes the definitions, processi ng methods, conditions and terms of sale and 
trade description therefor (Articles 1 to 16 of the Draft Resolution). 
The Draft Resolution also incorporates coco a butter equivalent (CBE), as follows:  
"Article 1147:  Cocoa butter equivalent (CBE)  shall be understood to mean a fat other than 
cocoa fat which is obtained from vegetable fats …  The use of cocoa butter equivalent 
(CBE) shall be optional and permitted only in chocolate products at a level not exceeding 
five per cent of the finished product … "  (Article 17 of the Draft Resolution). 
The definitions of chocolate and chocolate co atings are amended by the addition of the 
phrase:  " … with or without cocoa butter equivalent (CBE)".  The presence of CBE in such 
products shall be indicated both in the list of ingredients and by means of the statement: 
"Contains vegetable fat (CBE) in addition to co coa butter", written out in full in large-sized, 
well-highlighted and clearly visible lettering (Articles 18 to 30 of the Draft Resolution). G/TBT/N/ARG/230 
Page 2  
 
  6. Description of content:   (cont'd) 
Finally, the Draft Resolution incorporates the "Table of compositional requirements for 
chocolate and chocolate coatings" into the Ar gentine Food Code (Article 32 of the Draft 
Resolution). 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: 
 To update national food legislation in the light of technological developments 
enabling the use of new raw materials and pr ocesses and to bring product specifications into 
line with international parameters. 
8. Relevant documents:   Draft Resolution:  "Argentine Food Code – Chapter XV – 
Stimulating or pleasure-giving products:  Co coa, chocolate and coatings thereof". 
9. Proposed date of adoption: 
Proposed date of entry into force:  Upon publication in the Boletín Oficial  
(Official Journal). 
Eight days after publication in the Official 
Journal. 
10. Final date for comments:   5 November 2007 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, E-mail and website addresses,  if available, of other body:  
Punto Focal de la Republica Argentina 
Dirección Nacional de Comercio Interior 
Avda. J. A. Roca 651, Piso 4° 
Sector 2 (C1067ABB) Buenos Aires Tel.: (+54) 11 4349-4067 Fax: (+54) 11 4349-4072 E-mail: focalotc@mecon.gov.ar 
Text available at:  http://www.puntofocal.gov.ar/notific_arg.htm