WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/825 
11 March 2008 
 (08-1058) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
SUBMISSION TO THE 41ST MEETING OF THE SPS COMMITTEE  
(GENEVA, 2–3 APRIL 2008) 
INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF THE  
CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION 
 
Submission by the Codex Alimentarius Commission
 
   The following communication, dated 5 March 2008, is being circulated at the request of the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission. 
 
 
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CODEX SESSIONS SINCE THE LAST MEETING OF THE SPS COMMITTEE (18-
19 OCTOBER 2007) 
 
- The 1
st  Session of the Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance 
(Seoul, Republic of Korea, 23-26 October 2007) 
- The 39th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hy giene (New Delhi, India, 30 October-
4 November 2007) 
- The 29th Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses 
(Bad Neuenahr, Germany, 12-16 November 2007) 
- The 16th Session of the Codex Committee on F ood Import and Export Inspection and 
Certification Systems (Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia, 26-30 November 2007) 
- The 60th Session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Rome, 
Italy, 4-7 December 2007) 
- The 8th Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (Queenstown, New 
Zealand, 4-8 February 2008) 
- The 8th Session of the Codex Committee on Natura l Mineral Waters (Lugano, Switzerland, 
11-15 February 2008) 
- The 29th Session of the Codex Committee on Fish an d Fishery Products (Trondheim, Norway, 
18-23 February 2008) 
- The 1st Session of the Ad Hoc Intergovernmenta l Task Force on the Processing and Handling 
of Quick Frozen Foods (Thailand, 25-29 February 2008) G/SPS/GEN/825 
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  - The 29
th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (Budapest, 
Hungary, 10-14 March 2008) 
In particular, the SPS Committee may wish to  draw its attention to the following: 
 1. The First Session of the Ad Hoc  Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial 
Resistance  agreed to send to the 31
st Session of the Commission three proposals for new work on the 
development of guidance documents on:  (i) scien ce-based risk assessment of foodborne antimicrobial 
resistant microorganisms;  (ii) risk management to contain antimicrobial resistant microorganisms; and (iii) creating risk profiles for antimicrobial resistant foodborne microorganisms for setting risk 
assessment and management priorities. 
2. The Thirty-ninth Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene  agreed to forward to 
the Commission for adoption the Proposed Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Powdered Formulae for Infants and Young Children, the Proposed Draf t Guideline for the Validation of Food Safety 
Control Measures, and the Proposed Draft Annex II:  Guidance on Microbiological Risk Management 
Metrics (Annex to the Principles and Guide lines for the Conduct of Microbiological Risk 
Management).  In addition, the Committee agreed to re-scope th e Proposed Draft Guidelines for the 
Control of Campylobacter  and Salmonella  spp. in Chicken Meat to include all chicken meat, not only 
meat from broilers, but to continue work on broile r chicken meat as a priority and to address meat 
from birds other than broilers in a separate anne x and requested scientific information from members 
of the Committee to assist the development of this annex.  The Committee also agreed to take up new 
work on commodity specific annexes for the C ode of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruit and 
Vegetables and on a Code of Hygienic Practice for Vibrio  spp. in seafood. 
3. The Sixteenth Session of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection 
and Certification Systems  agreed to forward to the Commi ssion for adoption the Proposed draft 
Appendix to the Guidelines on the Judgement of Equi valence of Sanitary Measures Associated with 
Food Inspection and Certification. 
4. The Eighth Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products  finalized and 
forwarded to the 31
st Commission for final adoption:  (i) the dr aft Model Export Certificate for Milk 
and Milk Products and (ii) the proposed draft Am endment to the List of Additives of the Codex 
Standard for Creams  and Prepared Creams (C ODEX STAN A-9-1976).  The Committee also agreed 
to forward to the Commission for adoption:  (i) the Maximum Levels for Annatto Extracts in Codex 
Standards for Milk and Milk Products, including co nsequential changes to the provision for beta-
carotene (vegetable),  (ii) the Food Additive listings of the Standard for Fermented Milks, and (iii) the 
Updated List of Methods of Analysis and Sampli ng in Codex Standards for Milk and Milk Products. 
5. The Eighth Session of the Codex Committee on Natural Mineral Waters  agreed to forward 
the proposed draft amendment to Section 3.2 contai ning levels of the Health-Related Limits for 
Certain Substances and Section 6.3.2 "Additional La belling Requirements" of the Codex Standard for 
Natural Mineral Waters fo r final adoption by the 31st Session of the Commission. It was also agreed to 
refer Section 3.2 to the Committee on C ontaminants in Foods for endorsement. 
6. The Twenty-ninth Session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products  agreed 
to advance to the Commission, through the Executiv e Committee, for final adoption: the Draft Code 
of Practice for Fish and Fishery Product (Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs, Lobsters and relevant 
related definitions; and the Draft Standard for Raw and Live Bivalve Molluscs.  The Committee also 
agreed to discuss further in the next session:  (i ) the Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery 
Products (other sections including crabs and smoked fish);  (ii) the Amended Draft Standard for 
Sturgeon Caviar;  (iii) the Proposed Draft Standard for Quick Frozen Muscle Adductor Meat;  (iv) the 
Proposed Draft Code of Practice on Processing of Scallop Meat;  (v) the Proposed Draft Standard for  G/SPS/GEN/825 
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  Smoked Fish, Smoked-Flavoured Fish and Smoked-Drie d Fish;  (vi) the Proposed Draft Revision of 
the Procedure for the Inclusion of Additional Species in Standard for fish and Fishery Products;  (vii) 
the Proposed Draft Standard for Fish Sauce;  and (viii) the Proposed Draft Standard for Fresh/Live 
and Frozen Abalone.  
FORTHCOMING CODEX MEETINGS  
 - The 2
nd Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (The Hague, The 
Netherlands, 31 March-4 April 2008) 
- The 40th Session of the Codex Committee on Pes ticide Residues (Hangzhou, China, 14-
19 April 2008) 
- The 40th Session of the Codex Committee on F ood Additives (Beijing, China, 21-
25 April 2008) 
- The 36th Session of the Codex Committee on F ood Labelling (Ottawa, Canada, 28 April-
2 May 2008) 
- The 14th Session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (Mexico City, 
Mexico, 12-17 May 2008) 
- The 61st Session Executive Committee of the Code x Alimentarius Commission (Geneva, 
Switzerland, 25-28 June 2008) 
- The 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Geneva, Switzerland, 30 June-
4 July 2008) 
7. The Second Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods  will consider the 
Draft Maximum Levels of: (i) 3-Monochloropropa ne-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) in Liquid Condiments 
containing Acid-Hydrolyzed Vegetable Proteins (A cid-HVPs) (excluding naturally fermented soy 
sauce);  (ii) Ochratoxin A (OTA) in wheat, barley and rye;  (iii) total Aflatoxins in Almonds, 
Hazelnuts and Pistachios "for further processing";  (iv) and total Aflatoxins in Almonds, Hazelnuts and Pistachios "ready-to-eat".  The Committee will al so consider the Proposed Draft Code of Practice 
for:  (i) the Reduction of 3-MCPD during the Pr oduction of Acid-HVPs and Products that Contain 
Acid- HVPs;  (ii) the Reduction of Acrylamide in Food;  (iii) the Reduction of Contamination of Food 
with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) from Smoking and Direct Drying Processes; and (iv) the Prevention and Reduction of Aflato xin Contamination in Dried Figs. 
8. The Fortieth Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues  will consider the Draft 
and Proposed Draft Maximum Residue Limits for Pe sticides in Foods and Feeds, including revocation 
of existing MRLs and combined lists of MRLs for certain sets of related pesticides.  The Committee 
will continue work on the Proposed Draft Revision of the Codex Classification of Foods and Animal 
Feeds.  The Committee will consid er the discussion paper on: (i) the Estimation of Uncertainty of 
Results for the Determination of Pesticide Residues;   (ii) the Procedures for Separation of Milk Fat 
from Whole Milk;  (iii) the Consideration of the MRLs Periodic Review Procedure.  The Committee 
will also discuss the Establishment of Codex Priority Lists of Pesticides. 
9. The Fortieth Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives  will primarily be involved 
in the continued elaboration of the Codex Ge neral Standard for Food Additives (GSFA), which 
encompasses a comprehensive listing of all provisions  for food additives used in all foods, regardless 
if whether said foods are standardized by Codex or not. It will examine other issues related to the 
General Standard, including: the revision of th e Food Category System of the GSFA; the food G/SPS/GEN/825 
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  additive provisions of the commodity standards; th e endorsement of food additive provisions arising 
from other Codex Committees; and specifications for the identity and purity of food additives arising 
from the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives with a view to their adoption as 
Codex specifications.  The Committee will consider ot her issues related to food additives, such as: the 
elaboration of guidelines for the use of flavour ings; the inventory of processing aids and the 
development of guidelines for their use; and the revision on the Codex Class Names and International 
Numbering Systems.  It will also consider amendments and/or addition to the priority list of food additives proposed for evaluation by JECFA. 
10. The Fourteenth Session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables  will 
continue to consider the information on consumpti on and levels of hydrogen cyanide in different 
varieties of bitter cassava in various countries. 
11. The Codex Alimentarius Commission  will hold its Thirty-first Session at the International 
Conference Centre, Geneva, Switzerland, 30 June – 4 July 2008, preceded by the Sixty-first Session 
of the Executive Committee.  The Commission will consider, among others, a number of draft Codex 
standards and related texts for final adoption at Step  8 or at Step 5/8 as well as proposals to amend the 
Rules of Procedure and other texts in the Procedur al Manual.  The Commission will also consider the 
implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Evaluation of the Codex Alimentarius and other FAO and 
WHO Work on Food Standards and relations betwee n the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other 
International Organizations. 
 
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