WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/CRI/42 
31 October 2005 
 (05-5048) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   COSTA RICA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible:  Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio, Ministerio de Salud y 
Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Trade, 
Ministry of Health and Ministry  of Agriculture and Livestock) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Fresh eggs, tariff subheading 0407.00.90 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All 
parties trading this product with Costa Rica. 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Costa Rican Technical 
Regulation (RTCR) No. ___:  2005:  Huevos Frescos o Refrigerados de Gallina para 
Consumo Humano  (Fresh and chilled hens' eggs for human consumption) (14 pages, in 
Spanish). 
6. Description of content:   This Technical Regulation establishes the quality, safety, packaging 
and labelling characterist ics and requirements for local or importe d fresh or chilled hens' eggs 
for human consumption, offered to the end co nsumer, catering trade or industry in the 
country at the time of shipment or sale, ir respective of their production method, and which 
can be classified in either of the following categories: 
1. Fresh eggs for human consumption (cateri ng trade or industria l use), in shell; 
2. Chilled eggs for human consumption (caterin g trade or industrial use), in shell.   
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety,  [ X ] animal health,  [   ] plant protection,   
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests  
8. International standard, gu ideline 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/CRI/42 
Page 2  
 
 9. Relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:   The following 
references were used to draft this technical regulation: 
(1) Mexican Ministry of Health, Mexican Official Standard NOM-159-SSA1-1996: 
Bienes y servicios, huevos, sus productos y derivados, disposiciones y 
especificaciones sanitarias  (Goods and services, eggs  and egg products and 
derivatives, health specifications and provisions), December 1999; 
(2) Mexican Ministry of Trade; General Directorate of Standards (DGN), Mexican 
standard NMX-FF-079-1991: Productos Avícolas - Huevo Fresco de Gallina - 
Especificaciones  (Poultry products - Fresh hens' eggs - Specifications), 
January 1992; 
(3) COGUANOR (Guatemalan Standards Co mmission), Guatemalan Mandatory 
Standard (NGO) No. 34209:99: Huevos de Gallina Frescos y Refrigerados para 
Consumo Humano  (Fresh and chilled hens' eggs for human consumption), 
January 1999; 
(4) Mario Murillo, AZ-403, Estructura y composición del huevo, clasificación de 
huevos por calidad  (Egg structure and composition, egg grading by quality); 
(5) Commission of the European Communities, Regulation (EC) No 1907/1990 on 
marketing standards for eggs, June 1990; 
(6) Commission of the European Communities, Regulation (EC) No 2295/2003 on 
marketing standards for eggs, December 2003; 
(7) Laboratorio Costarricense de Metrologí a - LACOMET (Costa Rican Metrology 
Laboratory), Informe Estudio de Análisis de Tolerancia de Peso del Huevo 
Preempacado  (Prepacked egg weight tolerance analysis study report), June 2004; 
(8) Roche Vitaminas S.A., Departamento de Industrias Primarias, Nutrición y Salud 
Animal (Department of Primary Indust ries, Animal Nutrition and Health), Manual 
Práctico Calidad de Huevo 1995  (Practical manual on egg quality, 1995); 
(9) United States Department of Agricultur e, Agricultural Marketing Service, Egg 
Grading Manual,  Handbook No. 75; 
(10) Bacteriological Analytical Manual , 1998, 8
th Edition, Revision A, Association of 
Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) International; 
(11) Vanderzant, C. and Splittstoesser, D.F. 1992, Compendium of Methods for the 
Microbiological Examination of Foods , 3rd edition, American Public Health 
Association, Washington D.C., Chapter 4: Colony Count Methods. 
10. Proposed date of adoption:   To be determined 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   In force for three months after publication in the Official 
Journal La Gaceta . 
12. Final date for comments:   60 days as of the date of notification. 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National notification 
authority, [  ] National enquiry point or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   G/SPS/N/CRI/42 
 Page 3 
 
 
 13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  
Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería 
Dirección de Salud Animal 
Centro de Información y Notificación en Medidas Sanitarias y Fitosanitarias Apartado Postal 70-3006 Barreal de Heredia, Costa Rica Tel.:  (506) 260-83-00, Ext. 2065 
Fax:  (506) 260-83-01 
E-mail:  notificaciones@protecnet.go.cr