Elaboration of new standards and related texts
93. The Commission approved the elaboration of new standards and related texts as summarized in Appendix VIII to this report. The following paragraphs provide additional information on the comments made and the decisions taken on certain items.
Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods39
39 ALINORM 04/27/41, para. 102
94. The Commission recalled that its last session had not endorsed the proposal for new work on the revision of the Guidelines and had agreed to consider this issue further at the 28th session. The Commission endorsed the proposal of the Executive Committee that the question of the revision of the Guidelines should be referred back to the Committee on Food Labelling for further consideration, taking into account its overall programme of work40.
Proposed Draft Amendment to the Codex Standard for Named Vegetable Oil; Low Linolenic Acid Soyabean Oil; Mid-Oleic Acid Soyabean Oil41
41 ALINORM 05/28/8, Appendix V
95. The Commission endorsed the recommendation of the Executive Committee and did not approve this proposal as new work42. The Commission agreed to request the Committee on Fats and Oils to consider what general approach would best address the present and future requests in an efficient and continuous manner, which would not entail the initiation of new work.
Proposed Draft Amendment to the Codex Standard for Named Vegetable Oil; Amendment to Total Carotenoids in Unbleached Palm Oil43
43 ALINORM 05/28/8, Appendix VI
96. The Delegation of Malaysia, supported by the Delegation of Indonesia, requested to extend the scope of the proposed amendment to total carotenoids in unbleached palm olein. However, the Commission endorsed the recommendation of the Executive Committee44 and approved the original proposal as new work.
44 ALINORM 05/28/3A, para. 8 and Appendix II
Proposed Draft Amendments to the Codex Standard for Named Vegetable Oils: Palm kernel stearin and Palm kernel olein45
97. Several members supported approval of this proposal as new work in view of the importance of these oils in trade and the fact that the Committee on Fats and Oils would not meet before 2007. However, the Commission endorsed the recommendation of the Executive Committee that this proposal should, in the first instance, be submitted to the Committee on Fats and Oils for review46.
Proposed Draft Code of Practice on the Processing of Scallop Meat47
47 ALINORM 05/28/18, para. 114
98. The Delegation of Australia drew the attention of the Commission to a related issue that had been raised in the Executive Committee and pointed out that in commodity standards, description, composition and quality factors should reflect natural variations in these factors on a global basis in order to ensure that the standard was applicable on a world-wide basis and to ensure that they were not more trade restrictive than necessary to fulfil their objective. It was noted that the approach taken by the Committee on Fish and Fishery Products whereby a statement of principle replaced a numerical value in the Proposed Draft Standard for Quick Frozen Scallop Adductor Meat, could be used to facilitate the standard setting process. The Commission supported this view.
Proposed draft revision to the Standard for Sweet Cassava48
48 ALINORM 05/28/35, para 94 and Appendix VIII
99. The Commission noted the request of the Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables to revise the Standard for Sweet Cassava - Section 1 Definition of produce and Section 3 - Provisions concerning sizing including consequential amendments to relevant sections of the Standard derived from the revisions to sections 1 and 3 to accommodate other varieties of cassava fit for human consumption.
100. The Commission noted divergent views on how to proceed with the standardization of varieties of cassava other than those covered by the Standard. The Delegation of Costa Rica, supported by a number of delegations, expressed concern that the inclusion of bitter varieties of cassava might have major implications to the provisions for the varieties of cassava presently covered by the Standard. These delegations further noted that the coexistence of both produce used for different purposes in the same Standard might create confusion. Some delegations noted that health concern associated with the level of hydrogen cyanide in bitter varieties should be taken into account when considering the standardization of these varieties. The Delegation of Nigeria and other delegations supported Codex work on bitter varieties of cassava in order to avoid or reduce technical barriers to trade.
101. The Commission agreed to initiate new work on the standardization of bitter varieties of cassava, as a separate standard, with the understanding that the Committee might consider, at a later stage, the possibility of having a single Standard applicable to both types of cassava, consistent with the Codex approach to develop more horizontal and inclusive standards when possible.
Discontinuation of work
102. The Commission approved the discontinuation of work as summarized in Appendix IX to this report. The following paragraphs provide additional information on the comments made and the decisions taken on certain items.
Proposed draft Standard for Soy Sauce49
49 ALINORM 05/28/8-Add.1; ALINORM 05/28/8-Add.3 (comments of Japan)
103. The Commission noted views in favour of and against the standardization of this product and recognized that, at present, there was no consensus to continue to work on a Codex Standard for Soy Sauce. The Commission noted that the scope and definition of the product varied widely across national legislations, that there were presently no major health risks associated with this product and that safety issues could be or were already being addressed in the relevant horizontal committees.
104. The Commission endorsed the recommendation of the Executive Committee50 to discontinue work on soy sauce within Codex, with the understanding that such decision would not prevent the Commission from revisiting this matter in the future and reconsider the amenability of the product for standardization, noting that consumers' protection from fraudulent practices should be one of the factors to be taken into account when reassessing the need for standardizing this product.
