INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES

Communication from the Codex Alimentarius Commission (codex)

The following communication, received on 29 September 2015, is being circulated at the request of the Codex secretariat.

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1  CODEX SESSIONs since the last MEETING OF THE SPS Committee (JULY 2015)

· 2^nd Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (Goa, India, 14–18 September 2015)

· 19^th Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (Ixtapa, Mexico, 5-9 October 2015)

2  Forthcoming CODEX Meetings

· 34^th Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (Ålesund, Norway, 19-24 October 2015)

· 47^th Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (Boston, United States, 9-13 October 2015)

· 37^th Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (Bad Soden a.T., Germany, 23–27 November 2015)

· 22^nd Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (Melbourne, Australia, 6–12 February 2016)

· 37^th Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (Budapest, Hungary, 22‑26 February 2016)

In particular, the SPS Committee may wish to note the following:

2.1.  The Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products will consider in particular revision of the Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (CAC/RCP 52-2003) to include sections on fish sauce; fresh and quick frozen raw scallop products; and sturgeon caviar, and an appendix on Modified Atmosphere Packaging. The Committee will also consider matters related to food additive provisions in Standards for fish and fishery Products and provisions for histamine.

For the agenda see http://www.codexalimentarius.org/download/report/930/fp34_01e.pdf.

2.2.  The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene will consider in particular development of Guidelines for the Control of Nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. in Beef and Pork; Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Foodborne Parasites; and Code of Practice for Low-Moisture Foods, and revision of the Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CAC/RCP 53-2003) and the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CAC/RCP 1-1969) and its HACCP annex.

For the agenda see http://www.codexalimentarius.org/download/report/931/fh47_01e.pdf.

2.3.  The Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems will consider in particular development of Principles and/or Guidelines for the Exchange of Information (including questionnaires) Between Countries to Support Food Import and Export; Guidance for Monitoring the Performance of National Food Control Systems, and revision of the Principles and Guidelines for the Exchange of Information in Food Safety Emergency Situations (CAC/GL 19-1995) and the Guidelines for the Exchange of Information between Countries on Rejections of Imported Food (CAC/GL 25-1997). The Committee will also consider matters related to system comparability/equivalence, the use of electronic certificates by competent authorities and migration to paperless certification, as well as emerging issues and future directions for the work of the CCFICS.

For the agenda see http://www.codexalimentarius.org/download/report/944/fc22_01e.pdf.

2.4.  The Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling will consider in particular Criteria for Endorsement of Biological Methods to Detect Chemicals of Concern; Procedures for Determining Uncertainty of Measurement Results; Development of Procedures/Guidelines for Determining Equivalency to Type I Methods; Criteria Approach for Methods Which Use a "Sum of Components"; and Review and Update of Methods in CODEX STAN 234-1999.

(Agenda will be available on the website in the near future.)

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