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| Report of the U.S. Delegate, Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables, 24th Session, Sep 15-20, 2008, Arlington, VA |
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The meeting was formally opened by Mr. David Shipman, Associate Administrator, USDA/AMS,
who stressed the international importance of Codex's work. Forty-three member
countries, one member organization and observers from four international organizations and one
private international inspection firm attended the meeting. The U.S delegation was comprised of
fifteen persons from industry, FDA, USTR, USDA/AMS and
USDA/FAS. Preceding the
plenary session, two very productive working group sessions were held on (1) Certain Canned
Vegetables, and (2) Jams, Jellies, and Marmalades on September 13 and 14, respectively.
Issues of Importance to the United States
1. Draft Codex Standard for Jams, Jellies and Marmalades (Step 5)
The committee revised the draft text for submittal to the Codex Commission for final adoption at Step 8. A key agreement was
the referencing of the Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) instead of prescribing individual additives.
2. Draft Codex Standard for Certain Canned Vegetables (Step 5)
This entailed two separate developments: (1) the Committee finalized (i.e., moved from step 5 to 8) the "general" Codex
Standard for Certain Canned Vegetables, and (2) the Committee finalized eight annexes. Each annex refers to the "general"
standard for generic provisions and also provides product-specific requirements for one of the following canned products:
sweet corn, baby corn, carrots, green peas, green and wax beans, asparagus, heart of palm, and mature processed peas.
Originally, these eight products were covered by separate Codex standards. This merger of eight individual standards was completed
with changes made to the text which allowed countries to continue their domestic/cultural trading practices, use a wider range of
ingredients in packing media, include more styles, and encourage innovation. In addition, the Committee agreed on the following:
- The proposed stand alone draft "Codex Guidelines on Packing Media for Canned Vegetables" was discontinued,
with the text merged into the body of the "general" Codex Standard for Certain Canned Vegetables" document.
- Referencing the Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) was adopted instead of the former practice of prescribing each additive.
3. Proposed Draft Sampling Plans for Controlling Minimum Drained Weight of Canned Fruits and Vegetables in Packing Media
The proposal prepared by France was deemed too complex and not clearly needed as written due to its potential to change established
trading practices are widely accepted. The Committee decided to return this document for redrafting and simplification.
4. Proposed Layout for Codex Standards for Processed Fruits and Vegetables
Additional work on this document was discontinued. It was doubtful that the "layout" would be beneficial for
future CCPFV projects. The Committee agreed that
the "layout" document could be revisited if, in the future, the Committee determined that it would be appropriate.
5. Proposal to Amend the Priority List for Standardization of Processed Fruits and Vegetables
During the session, the Committee recognized that most proposals on this list were many years old and their accompanying reasons/justification
may no longer be valid. In addition, the U.S. noted that the experience of merging similar standards had proven to be more difficult
and time consuming than envisioned, and that therefore, the CCPFV should request the Codex Commission to review the original mandate
for revising existing standards. As a result of the discussion:
- The U.S. agreed to lead an electronic working group to consider the relevance of (1) the remaining canned fruit and vegetable
standards (i.e., those standards that have not yet been revised), and (2) the Codex standards for quick frozen fruits and vegetables.
This review for relevance will also include an assessment of whether any of these standards merit revision, in part or in full.
6. The CCPFV agreed to the following work priorities for the next session:
- Revision of the Codex Standard for Table Olives with a working group led by the European Community
- Revision of the Codex Standard for Grated Desiccated Coconuts with a working group led by Brazil
- The inclusion of the existing Codex Standard for Canned Bamboo Shoots and the Codex Standard for Canned Mushrooms as new
annexes in the Codex Standard for Certain Canned Vegetables with a working group led by France
Conclusion
This was a very productive meeting for the U.S.; most of its positions were either accepted or proposed for further study/evaluation.
The alliances formed on all issues prior to the meeting were partly responsible for the U.S. success. Additionally, the participation
of the U.S. industry in this meeting contributed significantly to the session's technical discussions and success. One of the
most notable outcomes was the Committee's progress toward accepting general references to the GSFA in standards in lieu of
listing specific additives in the bodies of standards.
The U.S. Delegate expresses special gratitude to the USDA/AMS Processed Product Branch staff for their assistance in
preparations for and participation in meeting; the FDA/OFAS for their help on the food additive sections, and the U.S. industry
representatives. Their input contributed significantly to the success of both the U.S delegation and the Twenty-fourth Session of
the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables.
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Last Modified:
October 10, 2008 |
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