15. The Commission adopted a number of “Guiding Principles” for use by its Expert Committees* and other bodies preparing draft standards for submission to it, referring these principles for review and completion to its Executive Committee. They are now set out below as expanded in the light of the recommendations made by the Executive Committee at its first meeting on 3 July 1963: -
* See paragraph 17 below for the work allocated to these Committees.
Guiding Principles
Draw up a list of priorities as appropriate among the products involved.
Determine the nature of the standards to be sought, i.e. “minimum platform standards” and/or higher “trading Standards” (for details see Report of Joint FAO/WHO Conference on Food Standards, Geneva, October 1962, paras. 7 – 13).
Consider the possible need for standards for wholesale trading as well as retail.
Unless clearly necessary, avoid “recipe” standards, i.e. those which exclude the use of other than specified ingredients.
Consider the product involved without reference to possible competing products.
Wherever standards of identity pose special difficulties, minimum requirements should first be laid down in order that a product may bear a group designation (e.g. “cheese” or “groundnut oil”), and sub-categories then be designated by an appropriate term not implying quality preferences where compositional differences alone are involved. Such designations should always accompany any descriptive designation employed under national standards or by the trade. At a later stage, agreement should be sought on descriptive designations of these sub-categories (e.g. “full fat cheese”, “skimmed milk cheese”, “refined groundnut oil”).
In general, subject to appropriate labelling, no product should be required to bear a different designation by reason solely of the presence of permitted food additives
Product definitions should be no wider than strictly necessary. In particular they should be stated in positive, not negative terms and should not resort to statements of exceptions.
Products similar to standardized products shall be sufficiently designated by a fancy name accompanied by adquate labelling.
General lay-out recommended for standards of composition:
16. At the request of the Commission, the Executive Committee also agreed to the following procedures to be followed by Expert Committees:-
Procedures
Governments wishing to participate in the work of any Expert Committee set up by the Commission are requested to inform the Secretariat by 31 October 1963. Although Governments are free to join any Expert Committee at any time by merely notifying the Secretariat, non-adherence to this dateline may prejudice the possibility of participating from the start.
The Secretariat will inform host governments responsible for organizing each Expert Committee of all requests to participate in the Committee's work.
Before fixing the time and place of each meeting, host governments and other bodies are urgently requested to notify the Secretariat. A calendar of meetings of all Expert Committees can then be drawn up so as to avoid overlap, facilitate participation by countries' representatives and reduce travel costs.
The Secretariat will circulate to all interested copies of the calender of meetings so obtained, as well as details of participation in each Expert Committee, in particular to National Codex Alimentarius Committees, equivalent bodies or government central contact points for the work of the Commission.
Host governments of Expert Committees and other bodies preparing draft standards for submission to the Commission are requested to provide the Secretariat with copies of all circulars and working papers which they may issue for this purpose.
