67. The Committee recalled that the draft standard had initially been developed by the Codex Coordinating Committee for Asia, and forwarded to the CCFFP for finalization after its adoption at Step 5 by the Executive Committee in 1996. The Committee reviewed the standard section by section and made the following amendments.
Section 2.2 Process Definition
68. The Delegation of Spain proposed that the fish should be eviscerated before processing and the Committee had an exchange of view on the necessity for such a requirement. Some delegations pointed out that gutting was not necessary as the fish was very small and was boiled in brine before drying, so that no health hazard existed. From the technological point of view, gutting was not practical as it would destroy fish with a soft texture. Other delegations pointed out that the sizing section referred to fish up to 6.5 cm; for fish of that size, and at a temperature where salt migration would be slow, there was a significant risk that botulism would develop. It was noted that in general, fish covered by the standard were much smaller than 6.5 cm and producing countries had not experienced health problems with this product. It was agreed that this issue would be subject to further discussion.
Section 2.3 Handling Practice
69. The Delegation of Thailand expressed the view that it was not practical to keep the temperature of fresh fish below 1.5ºC and the Committee agreed to refer to "an adequate temperature to prevent spoilage and bacterial growth" prior to processing.
Section 3. Essential Composition and Quality Factors
70. The Committee agreed with the proposal of the Delegation of Thailand to move sections 3.3 to 3.5 (Grading) to an Annex on optional composition criteria. The Committee noted that the Labelling section referred to sizing and grading and amended this provision to make it optional, while noting the concern of the Delegation of Canada that the main body of the standard should not be linked to the Annex. The Chairman recalled that the Annex had been introduced in the revision process of some current standards to take care of existing material, but that when elaborating new standards, careful consideration should be given to the opportunity of including provisions which were not essential. Some delegations supported size declaration with the actual size rather than with "big" or "medium", and the Committee agreed that further consideration should be given to these sections.
Section 4. Hygiene
71. The Delegation of France recalled that certain Engraulidae species were included in the Standard for Canned Sardines, where the level of histamine was limited in view of safety concerns, and pointed out that a similar approach should be taken for dried anchovies as defined in the current text. This was supported by other delegations and the Committee agreed to insert the provisions on histamine which were included in the Standard for Sardines and Sardine-Type Products.
Section 5. Packing
72. The Delegation of Thailand questioned the need for transparent packaging material and the Committee agreed that this should be further considered.
Section 6. Labelling
73. The reference to "English" names was deleted and replaced with "common" names, in conformity with the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods. The Committee agreed to require the declaration of grading and size according to the provisions in the Annex when these criteria were applied.
74. The Delegation of France supported the declaration of the scientific name and the country of origin in order to prevent confusion and provide clear information to the consumer, as the product was not very well known, and covered a large number of different species. The Committee had an exchange of views on the need for such requirements, and recalled that the standard for sardines provided for the indication of the country or the species, not both of them, and that the General Standard required the declaration of origin only when its absence would mislead the consumer. The Committee could not come to a conclusion at this stage and left the section as currently drafted (including the declaration of the scientific name and no reference to the origin).
General aspects
75. The Committee recognized that, as noted by the Delegation of Germany, several sections which were usually found in fish standards were missing in this text, such as the definition of defectives, the reference to odour and flavour and sensory evaluation. The Committee noted that the Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling had recommended that for the determination of acid insoluble ash (method stated in the standard), the CCFFP consider a more generally applicable method such as AOAC 938.08. The Chairman noted that, in view of the above discussions, several sections required further consideration before the current text could be finally converted into a world-wide standard.
Status of the Draft Standard for Dried Salted Anchovies
76. The Committee agreed to return the Draft Standard, as amended at the current session, to Step 6 for further comments and consideration by the next session (see Appendix III)
