. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/COL/155 
18 March 2008 
 (08-1217) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   COLOMBIA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Ministerio de la Protección Social  (Ministry of Social Welfare) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers sh ould be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Hermetically sealed low-acid and acidified foods  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:   
 Trading partners of Colombia  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Proyecto de Resolución del 
Ministerio de la Protección Social "Por la cual se establece el Reglamento Técnico sobre los requisitos que se deben cumplir durante el proceso térmico de alimentos envasados 
herméticamente de baja acidez y acidificados, que se importen o expor ten para el consumo 
humano"  (Draft Ministry of Social Welfare Resolution "Issuing the Technical Regulation 
laying down the requirements to be met during the heat processing of hermetically sealed low-
acid and acidified foods imported or exported fo r human consumption") (39 pages, in Spanish). 
6. Description of content:  The notified draft Resolution covers the following:  Purpose;  Scope;  
Definitions;  Requirements concerning the regi stration of establishments and the heat 
processing of hermetically sealed low-acid and acidified foods;  Basic food manufacturing 
hygiene requirements;  Heat treatment systems;   Control of food product container parts, lids 
and materials used in processing;  Production and processing controls;  Records and reports; 
Quality assurance and control;  Additives a nd substances permitted in the manufacture of 
hermetically sealed low-acid and acidified foods;  Requirements applicable to the end product; 
Hermetically sealed acidified foods;  Packaging and storage;  and Insp ection, monitoring and 
control. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection,  
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from other damage from pests    
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE),  
[   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [ X ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:    G/SPS/N/COL/155 
Page 2  
 
  9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Law No. 09 of 1979, 
Law No. 715 of 2001, Decree No. 3075 of 1997 and Resolution No. 5109 of 29 December 2005 of the Ministry of Social Welfare, notified in document 
G/SPS/N/COL/102/Add.1. 
10. Proposed date of adoption:  Date on which the Resolution is signed 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  Six (6) months after the date of publication in the Official 
Journal 
12. Final date for comments:  14 June 2008 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National notification 
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:  
 Enquiry Point  
 Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo 
 Dirección de Regulación 
 Calle 28 Nº 13A–15, tercer piso  Bogotá, D.C., Colombia  Tel.: +(571) 241-0478  Fax: +(571) 241-0480 
 or 
 Ministerio de la Protección Social 
 Dirección General de Salud Pública  Grupo de Salud Ambiental  Carrera 13 No. 32–76 
 Bogotá, D.C., Colombia 
 Tel. (PBX): +(571) 330-5000, Exts. 1440 to 1445  Fax: +(571) 330-5050   Web site: http://www.minproteccionsocial.gov.co
 
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notificati on authority, [ X ] National enquiry point 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  
 Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo 
 Dirección de Regulación 
 Calle 28 No.13A–15, tercer piso   Bogotá, D.C., Colombia 
 Enquiry Point
:  
 Contact person:  Daniel Héctor Rico R.  
 Tel.: +(571) 606-7676, Ext. 1690 
 Fax: +(571) 241-0480  E-mail: drico@mincomercio.gov.co  Web site: http://www.mincomercio.gov.co