WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/735 
18 October 2006 
 
 (06-5041) 
Committee on Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
 
 
 
STATEMENT BY COLOMBIA ON REGULATION No. 258/97 
OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
 
Statement by Colombia at the Meeting Held on 11 and 12 October 2006  
 
  The following communication, received on 12 Octo ber 2006, is being circulated at the request 
of the delegation of Colombia.  
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 1. We wish to express our concern to the Comm ittee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures 
concerning the stringent criteria laid down in Regulation No. 258 of 1997 of the European Communities.  One of the reasons for Colombia's c oncern is that the legislation is deemed to be 
excessive and restrictive and it affects the trade interests of sectors of high export potential. 
2. Furthermore, Colombia would like to emphasi ze that probably the only way of obtaining 
access to the European Communities ma rket is to rely on the cooper ation, support and assistance of 
the European Communities themselves so that, on the one hand, Colombian products may meet the 
standards and, on the other, developing countries are helped to export ecological products from 
tropical regions that respect the environment. 
3. On 6 September 2006, through its Embassy in Brussels, Colombia sent to the European 
Commission a document containing a list of exotic products that would be affected by Regulation 
(EC) No. 258/197 as they are considered to be "N ovel Foods".  The non-exhaustive list of products 
includes the following:  Babaco, Malanga, Biriba , South American sapote, Barbados gooseberry, 
Tarap, Piñuela, Barbary fig, Mountain papaya, Piqu ia, Coupeia, Patashte, Mamey apple, Spanish lime, 
Brazil nut, Choiba, Amazon tree grape, Camu-Camu, Araza, Pineapple guava, Peach palm, Corozo 
palm, Bataua palm, Passion flow er, Sweet calabash, Purple granadilla, Borojo, Genipap, Sapodilla, 
Lucuma, Mamey sapote, Ross sapote, Yellow star a pple, Cocona, Potato varieties, Oca, Ulluco, 
Mashua, Arracacha, Maca, Yacon, Sweet potato, Arro wroot, Inchi, Sacha-Inchi, Sweet honey leaf and 
Sagu.  (Attached is an annex showing the family, species and common name). 
4. The most recent statistics from Colombia's de partments show that Amazonian fruit is grown 
on some 60,000 hectares.  Of these, the major crop grown is Arazá (32,615 hectares), followed by Patashte (14,234 hectares), Peach palm fruit (6,306 hectares) Amazonian pineapple (1,780 hectares) 
and Cocona (219 hectares), inter alia .  The largest producers are the departments of Caquetá and 
Putumayo, where 2,469 and 1,972 farming fa milies respectively depend on these products. 
5. The European Communities' current measures for the import of traditional exotic foods have 
been complex and costly inasmuch as these products ar e considered to be new and it has to be shown 
that they have a history of safe consumption.  Regulation (EC) No. 258/97 calls for a scientific G/SPS/GEN/735 
Page 2  
 
  assessment, which requires large-scale investment th at is not consonant with the volume and demand 
for these products in the European Market. 
6. Streamlining and facilitating access to the European Market for exotic agricultural products 
currently affected by the "novel foods" Regulation and the result of biological diversity could help to 
boost alternative development programmes that comp lement the policies and strategies for banning 
and eradicating illicit crops.  It is necessary to emphasize the internationally recognized principle of 
shared responsibility in combating drugs. 
7. In developing these exotic products, inter alia , the Colombian Government, in the context of 
its policies aimed at resolving the problem of illicit crops by developing alternative crops, is pursuing 
several objectives including the productive, legal, pe aceful and secure use of the land, the value of 
environmental goods and services, regional and global  impacts, job creation and its contribution to 
ensuring equitable socio-economic conditions. 
8. In any event, adapting the developing countries'  range of exports forms part of the Doha 
Development Agenda and, conseque ntly, should be part of the assistance programme approved by the 
General Council.  G/SPS/GEN/735 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Annex 
 
Species Selected as Likely to be Considered Novel Foods 
Non-exhaustive list  
 
FAMILY SPECIES COMMON NAME 
CARICAEA Vasconcellea heilbornii cv  Babaco 
ARACEAE  Xanthosoma sagittifolium(L) 
Schott Malanga 
ANNONACEAE Rollinia mucosa Biriba 
Matisia cordata South American sapote 
Patinoa almirajo Barbados gooseberry BOMBACACEAE 
Arthorcarpus sp Tarap 
BROMELIACEAE Bromelia sp Piñuela 
CACTACEAE Opuntia ficus Mill Barbary Fig 
C.pentagona Babaco CARICACEAE 
C.pubescens Mountain papaya 
CARIOCARACEAS Caryocar villosum Piquia 
CHRYSOBALANACEAE Cuepia sp Coupeia 
STERCULIACEAE Theobroma  bicolor Patashte 
GUTIFERAS Mammea americana Jacq. Mamey apple 
SAPINDACEAE Meliccoca bijuga Spanish lime 
LECYTHIDACEA Bertholletia excelsa HBK Brazil nut 
LEGUMINOCEAE Oleiocarpum panamenses Choiba 
MORACEAE  Amazon tree grape 
 Arthorcarpus sp Breadfruit 
Myrciaria paraensis Berg.  Camu – Camu 
 Araza 
Feijoa sellowiana Pineapple guava 
Bactris gassipaes Peach palm 
B. Minor Corozo palm MYRTACEAE 
Jessenia bataua Bataua palm 
Passiflora serrato Passion flower 
Passiflora. maliformis   Sweet calabash PASSIFLORACEAE 
CONALENSIÓ MOLLISIMA. Purple granadilla 
Borojoa patinoi Borojo RUBIACEAE 
Genipa americana Genipap G/SPS/GEN/735 
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  FAMILY SPECIES COMMON NAME 
Achras sapota Sapodilla 
Lucuma abovata Lucuma 
Calocarpum mammosum 
Chrysumphylum  Mamey sapote 
Pouteria sp Ross sapote SAPOTACEAE 
Pouteria caimito Yellow star apple 
Solanum sp Cocona SOLANACEAE 
Solanum tuberosum spp.  Potato varieties (i.e. phureja spp.) 
Oxalidaceae Oxalis tuberosa Molina p Oca 
Basellaceae Ullucus tuberosum Caldas s Ulluco 
Tropaeolaceae R. & P. Mashua  
Umbelliferae Arracacia xanthorrhiza p 
Bancroft Arracacha  
Cruciferae Lepidium meyenii Walpers b Maca 
Compositae Smallanthus sonchifolius P 
(Poepp. & Endl.) Yacon 
Convolvulaceae Ipomoea batatas Sweet potato 
Cannaceae  Canna edulis Arrowroot 
Caryodendron orinocense 
Karsten Inchi 
Euphorbiaceae 
Plukenetia volubilis Linneo Sacha-inchi 
 Stevia rebaudiana Sweet honey leaf 
 Canna edulis Sagu 
 
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