WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/MEX/207 
19 January 2011 
 (11-0316) 
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:   MEXICO
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:   Secretaría de Salud  (Ministry of Health) 
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:  
Comité Consultivo Nacional de Normaliz ación de Regulación y Fomento Sanitario  
(National Advisory Committee on Standardiza tion for the Regulation and Promotion of 
Health) 
Monterrey número 33, planta baja 
Colonia Roma 06700, México, D.F. Tel.: 5080-5200, Ext. 1333 E-mail: mailto:rfs@cofepris.gob.mx
 
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):   Non-alcoholic flavoured 
beverages 
5. Title, number of pages and lang uage(s) of the notified document:  
PROY-NOM-218-SSA1-2009, Productos y servicios .  Bebidas saborizadas no alcohólicas, 
sus congelados, productos concentrados par a prepararlas y bebidas adicionadas con 
cafeína.  Especificaciones y disposiciones sanitarias (Draft Mexican Official Standard 
PROY-NOM-218-SSA1-2009:  Products and service s.  Non-alcoholic flavoured beverages, 
whether or not frozen, concentrated products for the preparation thereof, and beverages 
containing added caffeine.  Sanitary specificati ons and provisions.) (114 pages, in Spanish) 
6. Description of content:   Flavoured beverages (soft drinks , fruit and vegetable drinks and 
sports drinks), frozen flavoured beverages, pow ders used in the preparation thereof, and 
beverages containing added caffeine are widely consumed in Mexico.  We are in fact the world's second largest consumer of soft drinks , which means that the Mexican population is 
particularly exposed to the various dangers associated with these products 
(e.g. microorganisms, additives and certain chemical substances).  Adequate sanitary 
control must therefore be exercised to minimi ze the effects that these agents have on the 
population and must involve either establishing limits or specifying the information that is to appear on the labels of these products so th at consumers can make an informed decision. G/TBT/N/MEX/207 
Page 2  
 
  The manufacturing process for products subject to this Standard must comply not only with 
the Regulations on the Sanitary Control of  Products and Services, but the following 
provisions: 
• Establishments engaged in the manufacture  and importation of products subject to 
this Standard must implement the health and hygiene practices set forth in Mexican 
Official Standard NOM-251-SSA1-2009 on hygiene practices for the processing of 
foods, drinks and dietary supplements, as cited in the section on references. 
• Documentary control of the manufacturing process.  Log books or registers must be 
used to record the information listed in Table 1.  The manufacturer is responsible 
for the design of such log books or registers and the frequency with which information is entered therein.  Log books or registers must: 
• be kept for at least one and a half times the shelf life of the finished product 
and be available to the health authority when required;  and 
• contain dates and other information th at make it possible to identify the 
person responsible for entering information therein. 
Where information is entered electronically, th ere must be some back-up to ensure its 
accuracy, together with a procedure to prevent unauthorized access and changes. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: 
The notified draft Standard sets forth the sanitary provisions and specifications for 
non-alcoholic flavoured beverages (including fresh fruit and vegetable drinks and sports 
drinks), frozen non-alcoholic flavoured be verages, concentrated products for the 
preparation thereof, and bevera ges containing added caffeine. 
This draft Standard does not apply to produc ts subject to specific sanitary regulations, 
which must comply with the sanitary specifica tions laid down in each case by the Ministry 
of Health. 
This draft Standard is binding throughout Mexican territory on natural and legal persons 
engaged in the processing or importa tion of the products concerned. 
8. Relevant documents:  
Diario Oficial de la Federación  (Official Journal) of 22 December 2010:  
http://www.dof.gob.mx/  
Mexican Standard NMX-F-466-1984, Alimentos - Bebidas no alcohólicas - Naranjadas.  
Secretaría de Comercio y Fomento Indus trial.  Dirección General de Normas  (Food - 
Non-alcoholic beverages - Orangeade.  Minist ry of Trade and Industrial Development.  
Directorate-General of Standards.) 
Mexican Standard NMX-F-439-1983, Alimentos - Bebidas no alcohólicas - Bebidas y 
refrescos.  Clasificación y definiciones.  Secret aría de Comercio y Fomento Industrial.  
Dirección General de Normas  (Food - Non-alcoholic beverages - Beverages and soft 
drinks.  Classification and definitions.  Minist ry of Trade and Industrial Development.  
Directorate-General of Standards.)  G/TBT/N/MEX/207 
 Page 3 
 
 
  9. Proposed date of adoption: 
Proposed date of entry into force:   Upon publication as a Mexican Official 
Standard in the Official Journal. 
60 calendar days after publication in the 
Official Journal. 
10. Final date for comments:   21 February 2011 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry  point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and website addresses,  if available of the other body: 
Secretaría de Economía 
Subsecretaría de Competitividad y Normatividad Dirección General de Normas 
Tel.: +(52) 55 5729 9100, Ext. 43217 
Fax: +(52) 55 5520 9715 
Website:  http://www.economia.gob.mx/swb/es/economia/p_Catalogo_Mexicano_Normas
 
E-mail: mailto:normasomc@economia.gob.mx  and 
 mailto:jesus.figueroa@economia.gob.mx  
Text also available at: 
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2011/tbt/mex/11_0076_00_s.pdf