. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/ARG/82 
20 October 2005 
 (05-4828) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   ARGENTINA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible:  Secretaría de Políticas, Regulación y Relaciones Sanitarias, SPRRS,  
y Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimentos, SAGPA (Secretariat of Health 
Policy, Regulation and Relations and Secretaria t of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and 
Food) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Locally manufactured and imported products (recycled monolayer 
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging), the precursors of such products (film, sheet 
and preforms) and raw materials (superclean decontaminated PET). 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:    
 Trading partners 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Envases de PET 
monocapa reciclados destinados  a contener alimentos  (Recycled monolayer polyethylene 
terephthalate (PET) packaging intended to contain foodstuffs)  (7 pages, in Spanish). 
6. Description of content:   Draft Resolution amending the Argentine Food Code by 
incorporating Article 212 tris, which specifies the general requirements and assessment 
criteria for recycled monolayer PET packaging (single-use), manufactured with varying proportions of virgin material (food-grade) and recycled post-consumer material (food-
grade), duly decontaminated by supercleaning pr ocesses, and intended to contain foodstuffs.  
 The Resolution provides a definition of  superclean decontaminated PET. 
 It also specifies that the labels of packaged products are required to state the 
following: " Envase de PET monocapa reciclado apto para contacto en …" ("Recycled 
monolayer PET packaging suitable  for contact with…"), indicating the name of the packaged 
food in question. 
 Recycled monolayer PET packaging must not  release substances extraneous to the 
composition of the plastic itself in quantities whic h pose a significant risk to human health or 
involve an unacceptable change in  the sensory characteristics of  the packaged products.  The 
toxicological aspect is dealt with once the d econtamination technologies have been duly 
validated, i.e., compliance is determined with respect to the threshold of regulation (TOR) of 
0.5 ppb ( μg/kg) (based on dietary exposure) es tablished by the US Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA). 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety,  [   ] animal health,  [   ] plant protection,   
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from other damage from pests  G/SPS/N/ARG/82 
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 8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE),  [   ] International Plant Protection Convention,  [   ] None 
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:    
9. Relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:   Draft Joint 
Resolution of the Secretariat of Health Policy,  Regulation and Relations  and the Secretariat 
of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food  (available in Spanish). 
10. Proposed date of adoption:   To be determined. 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   To be determined. 
12. Final date for comments:   10 December 2005 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National notification 
authority, [  ] National enquiry point or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:  
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority, [  ] National enquiry point 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  
http://www.conal.gov. ar/CONAL/proyectos _resolucion.asp