. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/GEN/132 
30 April 2012 
 (12-2285) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION 
 
  The following information was provided by the Codex Alimentarius Commission at the 
TBT Committee meeting of 20-21 March 2012 u nder Agenda Item 5 (U pdate by Observers). 
 
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I. CODEX SESSIONS SINCE THE LAST MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE 
(NOVEMBER 2011) 
(a) Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses  (Bad Soden am 
Taunus, Germany, 14-18 November 2011) 
(b) Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (Miami, United States of America,  
5-9 December 2011) 
(c) Executive Committee of the Codex Alimenta rius Commission (Geneva, Switzerland, 
7-10 February 2012) 
(d) Ad hoc  Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding (Bern, Switzerland,  
20-24 February 2012) 
(e) Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis  and Sampling (Budapest, Hungary,  
5-9 March 2012) 
(f) Codex Committee on Food Additives (Hangzhou, China, 12-16 March 2012) 
1. In particular, the TBT Committee may wish to note the following: 
(a) The Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses  finalised 
the Proposed Draft Nutrient Reference Values for Nutrients Associated with Risk of 
Diet-Related Non-communicable Diseases (NRVs-NCD) for adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (July 2012); ag reed to proceed with its work on the 
General Principles for Establishing NRVs-N CD and Additional or Revised Nutrient 
Reference Values for labelling purposes (vita mins and minerals);  made substantial 
progress on the revision of the Guidelines on Formulated Supplementary Foods for 
Older Infants and Young Children  (forwarded to the Commission for adoption as 
Draft Revised Guidelines); and agreed to redraft and consider further at its next session the revision of the Standard for Processed Cereal-Based Foods for Infants 
and Young Children  to Include a New Part B for Underweight Children and the 
revision of the General Principles for the Addition of Essential Nutrients to Foods . 
(b) The Executive Committee  considered the critical review and monitoring of standard 
development;  completed several sections  of the new draft Strategic Plan 2014-2019 G/TBT/GEN/132 
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  and agreed to proceed with its further de velopment for consideration at its next 
session; gave advice on the requests for observer status of several non-governmental international organizations; and consid ered matters referred by FAO and WHO, 
including the updated report of the FAO/WHO Project and Trust Fund for Enhanced Participation in Codex.  
(c) The Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling  endorsed a large 
number of methods of analysis and sampling in several standards, made substantial 
progress on the development of the Proposed Draft Principles for the Use of Sampling and Testing in International Food Trade, and developed criteria for the use 
of proprietary methods in Codex standards. 
II. FORTHCOMING CODEX MEETINGS  
(a) Codex Committee on Contaminants in  Food (Maastricht, Netherlands,  
26-30 March 2012) 
(b) Codex Committee on General Principles (Paris, France, 2-6 April 2012) 
(c) Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (Shanghai, China, 23-28 April 2012) 
(d) Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (San Juan, Puerto Rico, 
7-11 May 2012) 
(e) Codex Committee on Food Labelling (O ttawa, Canada, 15-18 May 2012) 
2. The Codex Committee on Food Labelling  will proceed with the consideration of issues 
related to the implementation of the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health : 
revision of the Guidelines for Use of Nutrition and Health Claims : additional conditions for nutrient 
content claims and comparative claims; and the de finition of Nutrient Reference Values. It will 
proceed with the development of a section on or ganic aquaculture and other amendments to the 
Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labellin g and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods .  
 
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