WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/809 
18 October 2007 
 (07-4524) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
SUBMISSION TO THE 40
TH MEETING OF THE SPS COMMITTEE 
(GENEVA, 18-19 OCTOBER 2007) 
 
INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF THE  
CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION 
 
Submission by the Codex Alimentarius Commission  
   The following communication, dated 18 October 2007, is being circulated at the request of 
the Codex Alimentarius Commission. 
 
_______________ 
 
 
CODEX SESSIONS SINCE THE LAST MEETING OF THE SPS COMMITTEE (27-
28 JUNE 2007) 
 
- The 59
th Session Executive Committee of the Co dex Alimentarius Commission (Geneva, 
Switzerland, 28 June - 1 July 2006) 
 
- The 30th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Rome, Italy, 2-7 July 2007) 
 
- The 17th Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods 
(Breckenridge, Colorado, the United States of America, 3-7 September 2007) 
 
- The 7th Session of the Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Food Derived from 
Biotechnology (Chiba, Japan, 24-28 September 2007) 
In particular, the SPS Committee may wish to  draw its attention to the following: 
 1. The Thirtieth Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission , among others: 
 Adopted 44 new or revised Codex standards or related texts (see Appendix I); 
 Approved a number of new work  proposals (see Appendix II); 
 Adopted the Strategic Plan 2008-2013 of the Codex Alimentarius Commission;  
 Noted with satisfaction the progress made in implemen ting the proposals based on the           
recommendations from the Codex Evaluation (2002); agreed to some principles to streamline 
the Codex committee structure and session planning; 
 Agreed to re-activate the Codex Committee on Natural Mineral Waters to update the    
provisions on health-related subs tances in the current standard; G/SPS/GEN/809 
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   Supported continued cooperation and coordina tion with international governmental and non-
governmental organizations; 
 Recommended that FAO and WHO study the possibility of reviewing or updating FAO and 
WHO Agreements with OIE, as might be required. 
The full report of the meeting is available at: http://www.codexalimentarius.net
 or at 
ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/Alinorm07/al30REPe.pdf  
 2. The Seventeenth Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in 
Foods  agreed to forward Maximum Residue Limits fo r three veterinary drugs (colistin, ractopamine 
and erythromycin) and the priority list of veterina ry drugs requiring evaluation or re-evaluation by 
JECFA to the 31
st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission for adoption. The Committee also 
agreed to further consider the Guidelines for the design and implementation of national regulatory 
food safety assurance MRLs and other MRLs for tw o veterinary drugs (melengestrol acetate and 
triclabendazole).  
3. The Seventh Session of the Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Food Derived from 
Biotechnology agreed to forward three proposed drafts, the Proposed Draft Guideline for the Conduct 
of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived fro m Recombinant-DNA Animals, the Proposed Draft 
Annex: Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derive d from Recombinant-DNA Plants Modified for 
Nutritional or Health Benefits and the Proposed Draf t Annex: Food Safety Assessment in Situations 
of Low-level Presence of Recombinant-DNA Plant Material in Food, to the 31st Session of the 
Commission for final adoption. 
FORTHCOMING CODEX MEETINGS  
- The 1st Session of the Ad Hoc  Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance 
(Seoul, Republic of Korea, 23-26 October 2007) 
 
- The 39th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hy giene (New Delhi, India, 30 October-
4 November 2007) 
 
- The 29th Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses 
(Bad Neuenahr, Germany, 12-16 November 2007) 
 
- The 16th Session of the Codex Committee on F ood Import and Export Inspection and 
Certification System (Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia, 26-30 November 2007) 
 
- The 60th Session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Rome, 
Italy, 4-7 December 2007) 
 
- The 8th Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (Queenstown, New 
Zealand, 4-8 February 2008) 
 
- The 8th Session of the Codex Committee on Natura l Mineral Waters (Lugano, Switzerland, 
11-15 February 2008) 
 
- The 29th Session of the Codex Committee  on Fish and Fishery Products (Trondheim, Norway, 
18-23 February 2008) 
 
- The 1st Session of the Ad Hoc  Intergovernmental Task Force on the Processing and Handling 
of Quick Frozen Foods (Thailand, 25-29 February 2008)  G/SPS/GEN/809 
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  - The 29th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (Budapest, 
Hungary, 10-14 March 2008) 
 
- The 2nd Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (The Hague, The 
Netherlands, 31 March-4 April 2008) 
 
4. The First Session of the  Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial 
Resistance  will consider new work to be undertaken by  the Task Force and priorities among them, in 
the light of the results of work done and/or being done by FAO, WHO and OIE on antimicrobial resistance. 
5. The Thirty-ninth Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene  will consider the three 
proposed drafts, the Proposed Draft Code of Hygien ic Practice for Powdered Formulae for Infants and 
Young Children, the Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Validation of Food Safety Control Measures, 
and Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter  and Salmonella  s p p .  i n  B r o i l e r  
(Young Bird) Chicken Meat. The Committee will also  consider the Microbiological Criteria for 
Listeria monocytogenes  in Ready-to-Eat Foods and the Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of 
Microbiological Risk Management: Annex II:  Guidance on Microbiological Risk Management 
Metrics.  
6. The Sixteenth Session of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection 
and Certification System  will consider five discussion pape rs, the Need for the Revision of the 
Principles for Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification and the Guidelines for the Design, 
Operation, Assessment and Accreditation of Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification 
Systems, the Need for Guidance for National Food Inspection Systems, the Development of 
Guidelines for the Conduct of Foreign Audit Team Inspections, the Need for further Guidance on 
Traceability/ Product Tracing and the Development of a Generic Template for Health Certificates. 
The Committee will also discuss a working document on the consistency of the draft Model Export 
Certificate for Milk and Milk Products with the Codex Guidelines for Generi c Official Certificate 
Formats and the Production and Issuance of Certificates.  
7. The Twenty-ninth Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special 
Dietary Uses will discuss the Application of Risk Analysis Principles by the Committee, and purse its 
ongoing work on nutrition claims and the sta ndard for gluten-free food, among others.  
8. The Sixtieth Session of the  Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission  
will consider a set of draft procedures and cr iteria for streamlining the Commission’s work on 
development of regional and world wide standards,  and continue discussion on the review of Codex 
committee structure and mandates of Codex committees and task forces. With regard to the Critical 
Review, the Executive Committee will focus on mon itoring progress of standards development.  
9. The Eighth Session of the Codex Committee on Natural Mineral Waters will consider how 
to update the provisions on hea lth-related substances in the Code x Standard for Natural Mineral 
Waters (CODEX STAN 108-1981), taking into consideration the 3
rd Edition of the WHO Guidelines 
for Drinking-Water Quality.  
10. The Twenty-ninth Session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products will 
consider the Draft Code of Practice for Fish a nd Fishery Products (Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs, 
Lobsters and Crabs and relevant Definitions). The Proposed Draft Codes of Practice for Fish and 
Fishery Products and the Proposed Draft Code of Practice on the Processing of Scallop Meat will also 
be considered. In addition, the Committee will di scuss several draft standard s such as standards for 
live and raw bivalve molluscs, for sturgeon caviar, for quick frozen scallop adductor muscle meat, for G/SPS/GEN/809 
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  smoked fish, for fish sauce and for fresh/live and frozen abalone (haliotis  spp.) and the Proposed 
Draft Amendment to the Standard for Quick Frozen Fish Sticks. 
11. The First Session of the Ad Hoc  Intergovernmental Task Force on the Processing and 
Handling of Quick Frozen Foods will consider the Proposed Draft Recommended International 
Code of Practice for the Handling and Processing of Quick Frozen Food, in terms of both quality and 
safety provisions.  
12. The Second Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods  will consider the 
Proposed Draft Revision of the Preamble of the Gene ral Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in 
Foods and various draft maximum levels for ochratoxin A in wheat, barley and rye, for total 
aflatoxins in almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios for further processing and for 3-MCPD in liquid 
condiments containing acid hydrolyzed vegetabl e proteins (acid-HVPs) (excluding naturally 
fermented soy sauce). Furthermore, it will consider  discussion papers on maximum levels for total 
aflatoxins in “ready-to-eat” almonds, hazelnuts and pistachio, on aflatoxin contamination in Brazil 
nuts, and on ochratoxin A in coffee and cocoa. The Committee will discuss the Draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of 3-Monochloropropane-1,2-DIOL (3-MCPD) during the Production of Acid-
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Proteins (acid-HVPs) and Products that Contain acid-HVPs, and the proposed 
draft codes of practice for the prevention and reducti on of aflatoxin contamination in dried figs, for 
the reduction of acrylamide in food and of cont amination of food with polycyclic aromatic 
hydrocarbons (PAH) from smoking and direct drying processes.   G/SPS/GEN/809 
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  Appendix I 
 
LIST  OF STANDARDS  AND  RELATED  TEXTS  ADOPTED  BY THE  THIRTIETH  SESSION  
OF THE  CODEX  ALIMENTARIUS  COMMISSION 
 
Part 1 – Standards and Related Texts Adopted at Step 8 
Standard and Related Text Reference 
Maximum Levels for Tin in Canned Foods (other than beverages) 
and in Canned Beverages  ALINORM 07/30/41 Appendix IX 
Food Additive Provisions of the General Standard for Food 
Additives (GSFA)  ALINORM 07/30/12 Rev. Appendix 
VII 
Standard for Table Grapes ALINORM 07/30/35 Appendices IV 
and V 
Code of Hygienic Practice for Eggs and Egg Products ALINORM 07/30/13 Appendix II 
Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food 
Hygiene to the Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-
Eat Foods ALINORM 07/30/13 Appendix III 
Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of Microbiological 
Risk Management ALINORM 07/30/13 Appendix IV 
Amendment to the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, 
Labelling and Marketing of Orga nically Produced Foods: Annex 
2 – Permitted Substances: Table 3  ALINORM 07/30/22 Appendix II 
Standard for Fat Spreads and Blended Spreads  ALINORM 07/30/17 Appendix II 
Regional Standard for Canned Humus with  Tehena ALINORM 07/30/40 Appendix II 
Regional Standard for Canned Foul Medames ALINORM 07/30/40 Appendix III 
Regional Standard for Tehena ALINORM 07/30/40 Appendix IV 
Revised Standard for Infant Formula and Formula for Special 
Medical Purposes Intended for Infants  ALINORM 07/30/26 Appendix II 
Standard for Pickled Fruits and Ve getables ALINORM 07/30/27 Appendix II 
Standard for Processed Tomato Concentrates ALINORM 07/30/27 Appendix III 
Standard for Preserved Tomatoes ALINORM 07/30/27 Appendix IV 
Standard for Certain Canned Citrus Fruits ALINORM 07/30/27 Appendix V 
Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides ALINORM 07/30/24 Appendix II 
Revised Standard for Cheddar ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix VI 
Revised Standard for Danbo ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix VII 
Revised Standard for Edam ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix IX 
Revised Standard for Gouda ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix X G/SPS/GEN/809 
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  Standard and Related Text Reference 
Revised Standard for Havarti ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XI 
Revised Standard for Samso ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XII 
Revised Standard for Emmental ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XIII 
Revised Standard for Tilsiter ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XIV 
Revised Standard for Saint-Paulin ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XV 
Revised Standard for Provolone ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XVI 
Revised Standard for Cottage Cheese ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XVII 
Revised Standard for Coulommiers  ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XVIII 
Revised Standard for Cream Cheese ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XIX 
Revised Standard for Camembert ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XX 
Revised Standard for Brie ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XXI 
Standard for Mozzarella ALINORM 06/29/11 Appendix XXII 
 
   Part 2 – Standards and Related Texts Adopted at Step 5/8 (with omission of Step 6 and 7) 
Standards and Related Text Reference 
Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Ochratoxin 
A Contamination in Wine ALINORM 07/30/41 Appendix VIII 
Food Additive provisions of the General Standard for Food 
Additives (GSFA)  ALINORM 07/30/12 Rev. Appendix 
VII 
Amendments to the International Numbering System for Food 
Additives  ALINORM 07/30/12 Rev.  Appendix 
XIII 
Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives arising from the 65
th JECFA meeting ALINORM 07/30/12 Rev. Appendix 
XIV Part 1 
Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (Quick Frozen 
Coated Products, Salted Fish and relevant Definitions) ALINORM 07/30/18 Appendix II 
Sections 2.1.2 - Maturity Requirements and 3.1 - Minimum 
Bunch Weight (Standard for Table Grapes) ALINORM 07/30/35 Appendix V 
Guidelines for Design, Production, Issuance and Use of Generic 
Official Certificates 
(Revision of the Guidelines for Generic Official Certificate 
Formats and the Design, Production, Issuance and Use of 
Certificates ) ALINORM 07/30/30 Appendix II 
Working Principles for Risk Analysis for Food Safety for 
Application by Governments ALINORM 07/30/33 Appendix VIII 
Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides  ALINORM 07/30/24 Appendix III 
  G/SPS/GEN/809 
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  Part 3 – Standards and Related Texts Adopted at Step 5 of the Accelerated Procedure  
Standard and Related Text Reference 
Amendment to the Standard for Canned Sardines and Sardine-
Type Products ALINORM 07/30/18 Appendix III 
 
Part 4 – Other Standards and Related Texts Adopted  
Standard and Related Text Reference 
Methods of Analysis in Codex Standards at different steps ALINORM 07/30/23 Appendix III 
Amendments to Schedule I of the General Standard for 
Contaminants and Toxins in Foods ALINORM 07/30/41, para. 46 
Amendment to the Annex to Table 3 of the General Standard for 
Food Additives ALINORM 07/30/12 Rev., para. 71 
Amendment to the General Standard for Food Additives - 
Entries in Food Category 02.1.1 ALINORM 07/30/12 Rev., para. 167 
 
 G/SPS/GEN/809 
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  Appendix II 
 
LIST
 OF DRAFT  STANDARDS  AND  RELATED  TEXTS  APPROVED  AS NEW  WORK  BY 
THE  THIRTIETH  SESSION  OF THE  CODEX  ALIMENTARIUS  COMMISSION 
 
Responsible 
Committee Standard and Related Texts 
CCFFP Revision of the Procedure for the Inclusion of Additional Species in Standards for Fish 
and Fishery Products 
CCFFP Amendment to the Standard for Quick Frozen Fi sh Sticks, Fish Portions and Fish Fillets 
– Breaded or in Batter (Nitrogen Factors) 
CCFFP Standard for Fish Sauce 
CCFFP Standard for Fresh/Live and Frozen Abalone ( Haliotis spp ) 
CCPFV Sampling Plan including Methodological Provisions for Controlling Minimum Drained 
Weight of Canned Fruits and Vegetables in Packing Media 
CCNFSDU Establishment and Application of Risk Analysis Principles by the Committee on 
Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses 
CCASIA Regional Standard for Chili Sauce 
CCASIA Regional Standard for Edible Sago Flour 
TFFBT Annex to the Guideline for the Conduct of  Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived 
from Recombinant-DNA Plants on Low-leve l Presence of Recombinant-DNA Plant 
Material 
CCFH Guidelines for Control of Campylobacter  and Salmonella  spp. in Chicken Meat 
CCFO Amendment to the Standard for Named Vege table Oils: Palm Kernel Olein and Palm 
Kernel Stearin 
CCCF Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduc tion of Aflatoxin Contamination in Dried 
Figs 
CCFA Revision of the Food Category System (FCS) of the Codex General Standard for Food 
Additives 
CCPR Priority List of Pesticides for Evaluation by JMPR (New Pesticides and Pesticides under 
Periodic Review)  
CCNMW Amendments to Section 3.2 "Health-Related Limits for Certain Substances" of the 
Standard for Natural Mineral Waters (CODEX STAN 108-1981)  
 
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