. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/CHE/107 
15 December 2008  
 (08-6138) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  SWITZERLAND
  
If applicable, name of local governme nt involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  Federal Office of Public Health, Berne. 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and web-site 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :  State Secretariat 
for Economic Affairs, Non-tariff Measures Divison, Effingerstrasse 1, CH-3003 Berne, 
tbt@seco.admin.ch 
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. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Draft revision of the  
Ordinance of the Department of Home Affa irs on sugars, sweet foods and cocoa products 
(18 pages, French and German).  
6. Description of content:  
- New structure of chapter 2 "sugars and sugar products" and adaptation of certain provisions 
based on Council Directive 2001/111/ EC relating to certain su gars intended for human 
consumption.  
- Sweet fruit products (Austrian foodstuffs book edition IV, codex chapter B 22 sugar and 
types of sugar, published with decree GZ: 75210/0005-IV/7/2006 v. 2.7.2006), isomaltulose 
(according to Commission Decision 2005/581/ EC) and D-tagatose (according to the 
assessment of the Food Standards Agency) are a dopted as new types of sugar (Art. 13a paras 
5-7, Art. 14 paras 5-8, Appendix 1 numbers 14, 16 and 17). 
- Art. 14 para. 1: is altered corresponding to  Directive 2001/111/EC: Th e weight has to be 
indicated starting from a net weight of 20grams (before it was 50 grams). 
- Art. 14 paras 2-3: These paragraphs contain new provisions on the labelling of liquid sugar, 
liquid invert sugar and invert sugar syrup according to Directive 2001/111/EC. 
- Art. 31-53: The definitions are adapted to th e restrictions of Directive 2000/36/EC relating 
to cocoa and chocolate products intended for human consumption. 
- Appendix 1: All permitted types of sugar are listed according to Eu ropean legislation and 
international standard.  G/TBT/N/CHE/107 
Page 2  
 
  - Appendix 1a: This new appendix contains a re vised list of the produc ts from different types 
of sugar, which were previously listed in A ppendix 1. In addition, the requirement for a 
minimum content of dried vanilla fruit is extende d with the amount of vanilla extract, which 
corresponds to the minimum cont ent of dried vanilla fruit. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Health and consumer protection.  
8. Relevant documents:    
Ordinance of the Department of Home Affairs on food labelling and advertising of foods of 
23rd November 2005 (RS 817.022.21) ; German/French/Italian: 
http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/8/817.022.21.fr.pdf  
Ordinance on food and basic commoditi es of 23rd November 2005 (RS 817.02); 
German/French/Italian: http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/8/817.02.fr.pdf  
Food Law of 9th October 1992 (RS 817.0); German/Fre nch/Italian: 
http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/8/817.0.fr.pdf   
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:      Mid March 2009 
  1 April 2009 
10. Final date for comments:  60 days after the date of notification 
11. Text available from: National enquiry po int [ X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addres ses, if available of the other body:    
Internet address: 
http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/lebensmittel/04865/05022/05412/05463/index.html?lang=de  
http://members.wto.org/crnatt achments/2008/tbt/che/08_3924_00_f.pdf  
http://members.wto.org/crnatt achments/2008/tbt/che/08_3924_00_x.pdf