129) The Chairman, while introducing the matter recalled that due to time constraints it was not possible to examine the Proposed Draft Standard in detail and invited the Committee to concentrate only on general issues: clarifying the Scope as regards the inclusion of hot smoked fish; and whether the Scope should be limited to certain species or cover all relevant species, as this would facilitate the elaboration of the standard in the future.
130) The Delegation of South Africa expressed the view that the Scope should cover all hot smoked fish and offered assistance in the further elaboration of the Proposed Draft. This general approach was supported by the Delegation of Germany, other delegations and the Observer from the EC.
131) The Delegation of the Netherlands drew the attention of the Committee to the fact that liquid smoking was not permitted in some countries and that it was difficult for consumer to differentiate among types of smoking. The Delegation proposed to include liquid smoking in the Scope and also offered assistance in the elaboration of the standard. The Delegation of France pointed out that the technologies involved were very different, as were the criteria for safety and quality, which would require careful consideration.
Status of the Proposed Draft Standard for Smoked Fish
132) The Committee agreed that the Scope should be more general and should cover both cold and hot smoking without excluding specific species and that clarification on the integration of liquid smoking into the Scope should be addressed. The Committee agreed to return the Proposed Draft Standard to Step 3 for redrafting by the Delegation of Denmark, with all interested Member Countries, for further consideration at the next session of the Committee.
