168. The Committee recalled that its last session had decided to retain the Draft Code at Step 7 and accepted the offer of Canada to prepare a discussion paper reviewing CCFICS and other relevant documents, in order to evaluate the need for specific Code for inspection and certification of fresh fruits and vegetables. It was also recalled that, following the decision of the 6th Session to develop an Annex II to the Code on Inspection Site Requisites, the Proposed Draft Annex had been prepared by Canada for the 7th Session and circulated at Step 3. However, it had not been considered by the Committee due to the decision to suspend consideration of the Code as a whole.
169. The Delegation of Canada presented the discussion paper, which reviewed all relevant elements of the Guidelines and other texts elaborated by CCFICS and the UNECE Guide for the Quality Control of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in relation to the provisions of the Draft Code. The Delegation pointed out that the recommendations provided by the CCFICS covered the general aspects of inspection and certification, but that a specific code would be necessary to provide guidance on quality inspection of fruits and vegetables, and to ensure uniformity in the procedures.
170. The Committee expressed its appreciation to the Delegation of Canada for its useful work and agreed with the conclusions of the paper, as it recognized the importance of developing a specific Code of Practice to facilitate the harmonization of inspection for fruits and vegetables. It was also noted that the UNECE Guide should be taken into account in the process. The Committee therefore agreed to proceed with consideration of the Draft Code, with the understanding that it would be forwarded for advice to CCFICS with a view to ensuring consistency in the approach followed throughout Codex. However, for practical reasons and as the text had not been considered by the delegations since the 6th Session, the Committee agreed to defer its consideration until the next session and to re-circulate it for government comments at Step 6.
171. The Committee also agreed that it should review the criteria for a generic official certificate format developed by CCFICS and provide its input on the specific aspects concerning fruits and vegetables certification.
172. It was also noted that Annex II (Inspection Site Requisites) had not been considered by the Committee so far and had not been made available for the current session, the Committee therefore agreed to circulate it again for comments at Step 3 and consideration at the next session. The Code and the Annex would be presented in one single document for ease of reference although they were at different steps.
Status of the Draft Code of Practice for the Quality Inspection and Certification of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (including Annex II on Inspection Site Requisites)
173. The Committee agreed to return the Draft Code to Step 6 and the Proposed Draft Annex to Step 3 for government comments and consideration at the next session, in a separate Circular Letter.
