(A) IMPLEMENTATION OF DECISIONS TAKEN BY THE 22ND SESSION OF THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION
(B) CONSIDERATION OF NEW WORK PROPOSALS
(C) CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED DRAFT STANDARDS AND RELATED TEXTS AT STEP 5
(D) MATTERS ARISING FROM CODEX COMMITTEES
21. In addition to the report provided by the Secretariat, the Executive Committee received reports from the Regional Coordinators for Europe and for Asia (presented by the Chairperson of the Commission) on the outcome of the Regional Coordinating Committees held for those regions. Among other matters, the Regional Coordinating Committee for Europe had stressed the importance of work on health and nutrition claims, and the application of new methods of analysis for foods for special dietary uses. The Regional Coordinating Committee for Asia had called attention to the need to provide for improved consensus on Codex decisions; the need to base the adoption of standards on scientific principles; and the priority to be placed on systems for mutual recognition of certification and inspection procedures.
22. In relation to implementation of the Commission’s decisions, the Executive Committee placed particular emphasis on the need for prompt action to establish a scientific advisory body on the microbiological aspects of food safety, particularly on microbiological risk assessments (ALINORM 97/37, para. 139). It noted that discussions were under way between FAO and WHO on how such a body could be established on a permanent basis. It also noted the proposal that an ad hoc expert consultation would be convened to consider the work programme and propose terms of reference for such a body. The Executive Committee called on FAO and WHO to ensure that the preparations for the convening of such a consultation would be transparent and would include input from the Committee on Food Hygiene and from Member governments for a clearer definition of the terms of reference of the consultation. It also called for greater transparency in the process for the identification and selection of experts which would participate in such a meeting.
23. The Executive Committee also called for effective follow-up to be made on providing expert advice on the question of food allergies and intolerances in order to allow the establishment of a list of foods which would always be the subject of appropriate labelling provisions.
24. In answer to a question, the Executive Committee was informed that support for developing Member nations to participate in meetings of Regional Coordinating Committees with the assistance of external funding was now well-established and would continue as long as such funds continued to be made available. The question of providing funding for participants at world-wide Codex Committees was more complex because of the practical problem of ensuring fairness and at this stage no such funding had been provided through the Secretariat.
25. In the matter of follow-up to the Commission’s decision concerning the judgement of equivalence of food control systems in different countries (ALINORM 97/37, para. 164(v)), the Executive Committee noted that guidance in this area was a shared responsibility of several Codex Committees including especially the Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certifications Systems as well as the Committee on General Principles (see paras. 35-36 below).
26. The Executive Committee approved the proposals for new work, work subject to the accelerated procedure, and the discontinuation of work as presented in Appendix 3 to this report. The comments of the Executive Committee on specific proposals are also included in Appendix 3.
27. In general, the Executive Committee expressed concern that careful consideration had to be given by Codex Committees when proposing new work to the Criteria set out in the Procedural Manual. Codex Committees should also follow the instructions of the guidance established by the Commission by giving preference to standards which were inclusive of all products traded within commodity groups rather than highly specific standards, in order to avoid problems of achieving consensus at the time of adopting these standards. The Secretariat was asked to prepare a paper on (a) a review of the criteria for new work and (b) guidelines for the establishment of “inclusive” standards, for consideration at the next session of the Executive Committee on this matter.
28. The Executive Committee invited the Committee on Food Hygiene to consider whether Proposed Draft Annex to the Recommended International Code of Practice - General Principles of Food Hygiene, dealing with Cleaning and Disinfection proposed as new work could not be considered as being covered by the General Principles of Food Hygiene and the Guidelines on HACCP. The Proposed Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Primary Production, Harvesting and Packaging of Fresh Produce and the Proposed Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Pre-cut Fruits and Vegetables were referred to the Committee on Food Hygiene to decide whether future work was needed.
29. The Executive Committee adopted the proposed Draft Standards and Related Texts listed in Appendix 4 and advanced them to Step 6. In doing so, it requested the respective Codex Committees to take into account the technical comments which had been made on the proposed draft standards by Member governments and interested international organizations.
30. The Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean raised the question of the status and format of the Proposed Draft Standards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. The Secretariat noted that the Terms of Reference of this Committee stated that the format to be applied to these standards was to be in line with the format adopted by the Working Party on the Standardization of Perishable Produce of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe[12]. The Coordinator for Europe noted that a number of technical matters in relations to these standards required finalisation, especially the nomenclature used for the commodities, particularly in Spanish.
Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods
31. The Executive Committee noted that the prior recommendation of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods to withdraw the existing Codex MRLs for oxytetracycline in fat of animals had not been transmitted to the Commission, with the result that they were not supported by a JECFA recommendation. JECFA had recommended that these MRLs be withdrawn since MRLs in fat are not required for this class of drug. MRLs have been set for other, more appropriate, tissues for oxytetracycline and for other members of the tetracycline group.
32. The Executive Committee agreed to the withdrawal of the MRLs, subject to confirmation by the next session of the Commission. The Codex database of MRLs will be amended accordingly.
Codex Regional Coordinating Committee for Asia
33. The Executive Committee confirmed that the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables would be responsible for the further development of the Proposed Draft Standard for Chutney, and that the proposed draft Standard will be integrated with the existing Codex Standard for Mango Chutney.
Codex Committee on Food Hygiene
34. The Executive Committee noted that it had confirmed at its 41st Session (1994) new work under the heading Consideration of the Broader Application of the Hazard Analysis/Critical Control Point System. It was anticipated that a document could be prepared to provide guidance to governments which wished to include reference to use of the HACCP system in national regulations. The Executive Committee noted the heavy workload of the Committee on Food Hygiene and the priority which needed to be accorded to matters such as the development of guidance for the application of HACCP by small businesses, especially those in developing countries. It questioned the utility of conducting annual surveys on the development and integration of HACCP systems and requested the Committee to reconsider its work on this matter.
Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems
35. The Executive Committee discussed in depth the matter of Judgement of Equivalence in relation to the Terms of Reference of this Committee and the overall work programme of the Commission. The Executive Committee noted the advice of Legal Counsel that the Terms of Reference of the Committee seemed to be sufficiently broad to cover consideration of the issue, that it was for the Commission or the Executive Committee to determine the allocation of functions between various Committees where there were overlapping competences, and that the matter was primarily a technical one and not a legal one. The Executive Committee was of the opinion that in the area of determination of equivalence of measures, the mandate of the Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems only referred to food inspection and certification systems and that the matter being discussed by the Committee involved issues which were also relevant to the responsibilities of other Codex Committees especially those dealing directly with science-based risk management and the Committee on General Principles.
36. The Executive Committee was of the opinion and that that the matter was a priority for the work of the Commission (see discussion on the Medium Term Plan), and that the Committee was in the best position to deal with the subject with a view to developing concepts for equivalence in food control for import and export. This would require the Committee to develop concepts, to identify issues for consideration by the Commission and by other Codex Committees, and to suggest how a systematic approach might be applied. However, the Executive Committee should ensure that the issue was broadened. It suggested that as soon as work proceeded beyond the initial stages, the other relevant Committees (e.g., Food Hygiene, Pesticide Residues, Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods, Food Additives and Contaminants, General Principles) should initiate their own work on this matter as appropriate. In order to facilitate understanding of the issues involved, the Executive Committee invited the Secretariat to arrange for a revision of the basic paper and to circulate it to the relevant Committees for their information.
Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables
37. Requirements for Minimum Fill: The Executive Committee noted divergent opinions as to whether such requirements were primarily a commercial consideration or whether they were essential for consumer protection and the assurance of fair practices in the food trade. It noted that the technical requirements for processed fruits and vegetables might be different to those for fish and fishery products. It decided not to take a position on the matter, but to ask the Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables to provide additional technical information.
38. Responsibility for Standards: The Executive allocated the following work to the responsibility of other Committees:
CODE OF PRACTICE ON GOOD ANIMAL FEEDING
39. The Executive Committee noted that not all of the Codex Committees which had been requested to examine the draft had as yet met. In particular, the opinion of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods in the matter of the use of antibiotics in animal feeding would be of special importance. The opinion was expressed that the draft Code as written was too general and too wide to be of use in some of the areas which it intended to cover and that one solution would be to treat specific risks separately.
40. The Executive Committee supported the proposal that once all of the Committees had expressed their opinions, an analysis should be prepared for the further consideration of the Executive Committee and the Commission.
