WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/1054 
19 October 2010 
 (10-5398) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES 
 
Communication from the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex)
 
  
 The following communication, received on 18 October 2010, is being circulated at the request 
of the Codex
 secretariat. 
 
_______________ 
  
I. CODEX SESSIONS SINCE THE LAST MEETING OF THE SPS COMMITTEE  
(29-30 JUNE 2010) 
 
• Codex Alimentarius Commission ( Geneva, Switzerland, 5-9  July 2010); 
• Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drug s in Foods (Burlington, United States of 
America, 30 August – 3 September 2010); 
• FAO/WO Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific 
(Nuku’alofa, Tonga, 28 Sept ember – 1 October 2010); 
• FAO/WO Coordinating Committee for Europe  (Warsaw, Poland, 5-8 October 2010). 
 In particular, the SPS Committee may wish to note the following: 
1. The 33
rd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, among others: 
• adopted 25 new or revised Code x standards or related texts and many new or revised 
provisions for additives and MRLs for pesticides  (see Appendix I), and approved a number of 
new work proposals (see Appendix II); 
• agreed to establish a new Task Force on Animal Feeding and made other recommendations to 
address issues related to animal feeding; 
• considered the implementation of the Strate gic Plan 2008-2013 of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission and the development of the Strategic Plan 2013-2018; 
• Made some recommendations on the Mid-Te rm Review of the Codex Trust Fund; 
• Considered the impact of private standards and agreed to forward this question to regional 
Coordinating Committees. 
The full report of the meeting is available at:  http://www.codexalimentarius.net  or at 
ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/Alinorm10/al33REPe.pdf . 
2. The Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods finalized work on the 
MRLs for narasin in pig tissues and tilmicosin in ch icken and turkey tissues and agreed to consider 
the MRLs for tilmicosin in cattle tissues at its  next session.  The Committee will consider the G/SPS/GEN/1054 
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  development of a policy for extrapolation of MRLs to additional species and tissues and to revise the 
Risk Analysis Principles applied by the CCRVDF  and the Risk Assessment Policy for the Setting of 
MRLs for Veterinary Drugs,  with special emphasis on the revision of Section 3.2 "Evaluation of risk 
management options" and the development of risk management and risk communication 
recommendations for veterinary drugs with no ADI and/or MRLs.  The Committee further agreed to 
start developing risk management recommendations for veterinary drugs for which no ADI and/or 
MRL was recommended by JECFA due to specific human health concerns;  and a risk analysis policy 
for setting appropriate limits for veterinary drugs in honey. 
II. FORTHCOMING CODEX MEETINGS  
• Ad hoc  Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on An timicrobial Resistance (Muju, Republic of 
Korea, 18-22 October 2010); 
• Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vege tables (Bali, Indonesia, 25-29 October 2010);  
• Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (Santiago, Chile,  
1-5 November 2010);  
• FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (Acapulco, 
Mexico, 8-12 November 2010);  
• FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Asia (Bali, Indonesia, 22-26 November 2010);  
• Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (Kampala , Uganda, 29 November – 3 December 2010); 
• FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Near East (Tunis, Tunisia, 25-29 January 2011);  
• FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa (Ghana, Accra, 1-4 February 2011);  
• Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (Pen ang, Malaysia, 21-25 February 2011).  
3. The 4
th Session of the Ad Hoc  Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial 
Resistance will continue the elaboration of Guid elines for Risk Analysis of Food Antimicrobial 
Resistance (AMR), which includes sections on:  preliminary foodborne AMR-risk management 
activities;  foodborne AMR-risk assessment;  foodbor ne AMR-risk managemen t;  surveillance of use 
of antimicrobial agent and AMR microorganisms;  and foodborne AMR risk communication.  According to the mandate received by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Task Force should 
complete its work by this session. 
4. The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene will consider the following proposed drafts:  
Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter  and Salmonella  spp. in Chicken Meat;  Guidelines on 
the Application of General Principles of Food H ygiene to the Control of Viruses in Food;  and 
Revision of the Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for 
Foods.  
5. The Codex Committee on Fats and Oils will pr oceed with its work on the update of the  Code 
of Practice for the Transport and St orage of Fats and Oils in Bulk , which provides recommendations 
to prevent contamination of fats and oils.  Current work is focusing on the development of criteria to 
assess the acceptability of substances for inclusion in a List of Acceptable Previous Cargoes and on 
the consideration of the substances for inclusion in  the Draft and Proposed Draft Lists of Acceptable 
Previous Cargoes. 
6. The FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees consider Codex matters of interest to the region, 
promote exchange of information within the region on food legislation and food  control issues, Codex 
structures and participation, the use of Codex sta ndards, identifying issues related to the use or non- G/SPS/GEN/1054 
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  use of Codex standards and related texts at the nati onal and regional levels.  They define the problems 
and needs of the region concerning food standards and food control, and so me of them develop 
regional standards for products that may not be trad ed internationally but for which there is significant 
regional trade.  The Commission also forwarded so me questions on general issues to Coordinating 
Committees, especially as regards the mid-term review of the Trust Fund, the Strategic Plan, and the 
use of private standards. G/SPS/GEN/1054 
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  APPENDIX I 
 
LISTS OF STANDARDS AND RELATED TEXTS ADOPTED BY THE 33RD SESSION  
OF THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION 
 
Part 1 – Standards and Related Texts Adopted at Step 8 
Standards and Related Texts Reference Status 
Standard for Bitter Cassava ALINORM 08/31/REP 
Para. 38 Adopted 
Section 6 "Marking or Labelling" (Standard 
for Bitter Cassava) ALINORM 10/33/35 
Appendix II Adopted 
Standard for Apples ALINORM 10/33/35 
Appendix III Adopted with 
amendment (See Agenda Item 4) 
Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products 
(Sections on Lobsters a nd Crabs and Relevant 
Definitions) ALINORM 10/33/18 
Appendix II Adopted with 
amendments 
(See Agenda Item 4) 
Standard for Sturgeon Caviar ALINORM 10/33/18 
Appendix V Adopted 
List of Methods for Dietary Fibre ALINORM 10/33/26 
Appendix II Adopted 
Amendment to the Codex Standard for 
Fermented Milks  (CODEX STAN 243-2003), 
pertaining to Drinks based on Fermented Milk ALINORM 10/33/11 
Appendix II Adopted 
Food Additive Provisions of the General 
Standard for Food Additives  (GSFA) ALINORM 10/33/12 
Appendix III Adopted 
Revised Code of Ethics for International 
Trade in Foods  (CAC/RCP 20-1985) 
including Concessional and Food Aid 
Transactions ALINORM 10/33/33 
Appendix II Adopted 
Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides ALINORM 10/33/24 
Appendix II Adopted 
 
Part 2 – Standards and Related Texts Adopted at Step 5/8 (with omission of Step 6 and 7) 
Standards and Related Texts Reference Status 
Annex on Leafy Green Vegetables to the Code 
of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and 
Vegetables (CAC/RCP 53-2003) ALINORM 10/33/13 
Appendix II Adopted with 
amendment 
(See Agenda Item 4) 
Code of Hygienic Practice for Pathogenic Vibrio  spp. in Seafood ALINORM 10/33/13 
Appendix III Adopted 
Annex on Control Measures for Vibrio 
parahaemolyticus  and Vibrio vulnificus  in 
Molluscan Shellfish ALINORM 10/33/13 
Appendix IV Adopted  G/SPS/GEN/1054 
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  Standards and Related Texts Reference Status 
Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of 
Assessment of Foreign Official Inspection and 
Certification Systems (Annex to the 
Guidelines for the design, operation, 
assessment and accreditation of food import 
and export inspection and certification systems  (CAC/GL 26-1997)) ALINORM 10/33/30 
Appendix II Adopted with 
amendment 
(See Agenda Item 4) 
Guidelines on Performance Criteria and Validation of Methods for Detection, 
Identification and Quantification of Specific DNA Sequences and Specific Proteins in 
Foods ALINORM 10/33/23 
Appendix III Adopted 
Food Additive Provisions of the General 
Standard for Food Additives  (GSFA) ALINORM 10/33/12 
Appendix III Adopted 
(except provision for ponceau 4R) 
(See Agenda Item 4) 
Guidelines on Substances Used as Processing 
Aids ALINORM 10/33/12 
Appendix VIII Adopted 
Amendments to the International Numbering 
System for Food Additives (CAC/GL 36-2009) ALINORM 10/33/12 
Appendix IX Adopted 
Specifications for the Identity and Purity of 
Food Additives arising from the 71st Meeting 
of JECFA ALINORM 10/33/12 
Appendix X Adopted 
Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides ALINORM 10/33/24 
Appendix III Adopted 
Maximum Levels for Melamine in Food 
(Powdered Infant Formula and Foods other 
than Infant Formula ) and Feed ALINORM 10/33/41 
Appendix IV Adopted 
Maximum Levels for Total Aflatoxins in 
Shelled, Ready-to-Eat Brazil Nuts and Shelled, Destined for Further Processing Brazil Nuts ALINORM 10/33/41 
Appendix V Adopted 
Revision of Code of Practice for the 
Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin in Tree 
Nuts (Additional Measures for Brazil Nuts) ALINORM 10/33/41 
Appendix VI Adopted 
Principles and Criteria for Legibility of 
Nutrition Labelling ALINORM 10/33/22 
Appendix III Adopted 
 
Part 3 – Other Standards and Related Texts Submitted for Adoption 
Standards and Related Texts Reference Status 
Revised Food Additive Listings in Standards 
for Milk and Milk Products ALINORM 10/33/11 
Appendix IV Adopted 
Revised Model Export Certificate for Milk 
and Milk Products  (CAC/GL 67-2008) ALINORM 10/33/11 
Appendix V Adopted 
Revised Section on Contaminants in 
Standards for Milk and Milk Products ALINORM 10/33/11 
para. 105 Adopted 
Methods of Analysis in Codex Standards at 
Different Steps, including Methods of 
Analysis for Natural Mineral Waters ALINORM 10/33/23 
Appendix II Adopted G/SPS/GEN/1054 
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  Standards and Related Texts Reference Status 
Amendment to the name and descriptors of 
food categories 06.0, 06.2 and 06.2.1 of the 
GSFA ALINORM 10/33/12 
para. 16 Adopted 
Deletion of note 180 "expressed as beta-
carotene" in all adopted and proposed 
provisions for carotenoids (INS 160a(i), (iii), 
e, f) and carotene, beta- (vegetable) (INS 160a(ii)) of the GSFA ALINORM 10/33/12 
para. 61 Adopted 
Amendment of the provision for ascorbyl 
esters (INS 304, 305) in food category 13.2 
"Complementary foods for infants and young 
children" of the GSFA  ALINORM 10/33/12 
para. 90 Adopted 
Amendment to notes 130 and 131 associated 
with the provisions for phenolic antioxidants, 
i.e. butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA, INS 
320), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT, INS 321);  propyl gallate (INS 310) and tertiary 
butylhydroquinone (TBHQ, INS 319) of the 
GSFA ALINORM 10/33/12 
para. 91 Adopted 
Amendment to the text of note 136 of the 
GSFA ALINORM 10/33/12 
para. 92 Adopted 
Amendment to Section 2 "Table of functional 
classes, definitions and technological 
purposes" of CAC/GL 36-1989 ALINORM 10/33/12 
para. 129 Adopted 
Amendment to Section 2.1 General 
Definitions of the Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products ALINORM 10/33/18 
Appendix III Adopted 
Maximum Level for tin in Canned Fruits and 
Vegetables in the Codex Standard for 
Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed ALINORM 10/33/41 
Appendix II Adopted 
Deletion of Section 8 and related text from the 
Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically 
Produced Foods  (CAC/GL 32-1999) ALINORM 10/33/22 
Appendix IX Adopted 
Alignment of the General Standard for the 
Labelling of Prepackaged Food (CODEX 
STAN 1-1985) with the Codex International Numbering System in CAC/GL 36-1989 ALINORM 10/33/22 
Appendix XI Adopted 
  G/SPS/GEN/1054 
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  APPENDIX II 
NEW WORK APPROVED BY THE 33RD  CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION 
 
Responsible 
Body Standard and Related Texts Reference Job Code 
CCFFV Standard for Pomegranate ALINORM 10/33/35 
Appendix VIII N01-2010 
CCNFSDU Amendement of the Codex General 
Principles for the Addition of Essential Nutrients to Foods (CAC/GL 9-1987) ALINORM 10/33/26 
Appendix V N02-2010 
CCNFSDU Revision of the Codex Guidelines on 
Fomulated Supplementary Foods for Older Infants and Young Children (CAC/GL 8-1991) ALINORM 10/33/26 
Appendix VI N03-2010 
CCNFSDU Establishment of Nutrient Reference Values 
for Nutrients Associated with Risk of Diet-
Related Non-communicable Diseases for the 
General Population (Amendment of the 
Codex Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling  
(CAC/GL 2-1985)) ALINORM 10/33/26 
Appendix VII N04-2010 
CCFH Revision of the Recommended International 
Code of Hygienic Practice for Collecting, Processing and Marketing of Natural Mineral Waters (CAC/RCP 33-1985) ALINORM 10/33/13 
Appendix V N05-2010 
CCFH Revision of the Principles for Establishment 
and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Foods (CAC/GL 21-1997) ALINORM 10/33/13 
Appendix VI N06-2010 
CCFA Revision of the Food Category System of 
the General Standard for Food Additives  ALINORM 10/33/12 
Appendix VII N07-2010 
CCFA Revision of the Standard for Food Grade 
Salt (CODEX STAN 150-1985) ALINORM 10/33/12 
Appendix XII N08-2010 
CCPR Priority List of Chemicals Scheduled for 
Evaluation and Re-evaluation by JMPR ALINORM 10/33/24 
Appendix XII ongoing 
CCPR The Pilot Project in which JMPR would 
conduct an Independent, Parallel Review 
along with a Global Joint Review Team and 
recommend MRLs before National Governments establish MRLs in 2011  ALINORM 10/33/24 
para. 202  N09-2010 
CCCF Maximum Levels for Deoxynivalenol 
(DON) and its Acetylated Derivatives in Cereals and Cereal-based Products ALINORM 10/33/41 
para. 110 N10-2010 
CCCF Maximum Levels for Total Aflatoxins in 
Dried Figs ALINORM 10/33/41 
Appendix IX N11-2010 
CCFL Establishment of Claims for Sugars, Salt/ 
Sodium and Trans-fatty Acids ALINORM 10/33/22 
Appendix V N12-2010 
CCFL Organic Aquaculture ALINORM 10/33/22 
Appendix XIII N13-2010 
CCFL Definition for Nutrient Reference Values ALINORM 10/33/22 
Appendix XII N14-2010 G/SPS/GEN/1054 
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  Responsible 
Body Standard and Related Texts Reference Job Code 
TFAF Guidelines and prioritised list of hazards 
mentioned in a) and b) of the Terms of 
Reference of the Task Force on Animal Feeding ALINORM 10/33/REP, 
Appendix VIII  
 
 
 
 
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