. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/MEX/211 
21 February 2011 
 (11-0860) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Notifying Member:  MEXICO
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:   Secretaría de Economía (Ministry of the Economy) 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers and e-mail and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or au thority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:  
Comité Consultivo Nacional de Normalizac ión de Seguridad al Usuario, Información 
Comercial y Prácticas de Comercio  
(National Advisory Committee on Standard ization for User Safety, Commercial 
Information and Trade Practices) 
Av. Puente de Tecamachalco No. 6 Col. Lomas de Tecamachalco, Sección Fuentes Naucalpan de Juárez Código postal 53950, Estado de México 
Tel.: 57 29 93 00, Ext. 43222 
Fax: 55 20 97 15 E-mail: paola.martinez@economia.gob.mx
 
 maria.medinam@economia.gob.mx  
 salvador.franco@economia.gob.mx  
Website: http://www.economia.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):   Vanilla (HS 0905.00.01)
5. Title, number of pages and lang uage(s) of the notified document:   Vainilla de Papantla, 
extractos y derivados - Especificaciones, información comercial y métodos de ensayo  
(Papantla vanilla and extracts and deriva tives thereof - Specifications, commercial 
information and test methods) (10, pages, in Spanish) 
6. Description of content:   Vanilla (Vanilla fragrans (Salisbury), syn. Vanilla planifolia 
Andrews, Vanilla planifolia Jackson) is the most important flavouring used in the food 
industry.  Papantla vanilla has intrinsic prope rties that make it the most highly regarded 
product on the market.  This, in turn, has led to the indiscriminate use of its name, which 
frequently endangers the reputation of the product and its popularity with consumers on 
both the domestic and international markets. G/TBT/N/MEX/211 
Page 2  
 
  In the light of this situation, and on the basis of the applicable legal provisions, it is 
established that in order to use the appellation of origin "Papantla vanilla", products must 
meet certain requirements.  Papantla vanilla  must possess qualities and characteristics that 
distinguish it from other forms of vanilla and ma ke it unique, and which are attributable to 
the geographic environment, natura l factors and handling practices. 
The general requirements for the certification of Papantla vanilla are set forth in the notified 
draft Mexican Official Standard.  From the date  of entry into force of this Standard, the 
name "Papantla vanilla" shall be used exclusively for products covered by the 
corresponding appellation of origin.  Anyone fou nd misusing this name shall be punished in 
accordance with the relevant administrative and legal provisions. 
Papantla vanilla, and its pre-packaged extracts and derivatives, must comply 
with the commercial information set fo rth in Mexican Official Standard 
NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
To establish the specifications for green va nilla, processed vanilla and extracts or 
derivatives of vanilla fruits which are produced in the area protected by the appellation of 
origin for Papantla vanilla, as well as th e testing methods for these products and 
commercial information specifications. 
8. Relevant documents:  
• ISO 3493:1999 Vanilla-Vocabulary 
• ISO 5565-1:1999 Vanilla [Vanilla fragrans (Salisbury) Ames] - Part 1:  
Specification 
• ISO 5565-2:1999 Vanilla [Vanilla fragrans (Salisbury) Ames] - Part 2:  Test 
methods 
9. Proposed date of adoption: 
Proposed date of entry into force: }60 calendar days after publication in the Official Journal. 
10. Final date for comments:   11 April 2011 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and e-mail and website addresses, if available, of 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/or 
 mailto:jesus.figueroa@economia.gob.mx  
Also available at: 
http://dof.gob.mx/index.php? year=2011&month=02&day=11  
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2011/tbt/MEX/11_0466_00_s.pdf