INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES
Communication
from the Codex Alimentarius Commission (codex)
The following communication, received on 25 May 2022, is being circulated at the request of
the Codex secretariat.
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1 Codex meetings held since the last session of the SPS Committee (23‑25 mARCH
2022)
1.1 52nd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene
(CCFH52, Virtual, 28 February - 9 March 2022)
1.1.1 Guidelines for the Management of Biological Foodborne Outbreaks
1.1. CCFH52 agreed to forward the Guidelines
for the Management of Biological Foodborne Outbreaks to CAC45
(November 2022) for final adoption.
1.1.2 Revision to the General Principles of Food Hygiene
1.2. CCFH52 agreed to forward the "Tools to determine the critical
control points (CCPs)" to CAC45 for final adoption and subsequent
inclusion as Annex 2 in the General
Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969).
1.3. The report of CCFH52 is available on the Codex webpage.
1.2 15th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in
Foods (CCCF15, Virtual, 9‑24 May 2022)
1.2.1 Maximum Level for Cadmium in Cocoa Powder
1.4. CCCF15 agreed to:
i)
forward the
amendment to the MLs for chocolates containing or declaring <30% total cocoa
solids on a dry matter basis and chocolates containing or declaring ≥30% to
<50% total cocoa solids on a dry matter basis for adoption by CAC45 to
clarify the portion of the commodity to which the ML apply; and
ii)
forward an ML of
2 mg/kg for cocoa powder (100% total cocoa solids on a dry matter basis) to
CAC45 for final adoption.
1.5. This concludes work on MLs for cadmium in chocolates and
cocoa-derived products (cocoa powder).
1.2.2 Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Cadmium
Contamination in Cocoa Beans
1.6. CCCF15 agreed to forward the Code
of practice for the prevention and reduction of cadmium contamination in cocoa
beans to CAC45 for final adoption.
1.2.3 Maximum Levels for Lead in Certain Food Categories
1.7. CCCF15 agreed to forward:
i)
the MLs for lead
in cereal-based foods for infants and young children at 0.02 mg/kg; white
sugar, corn and maple syrups, honey at 0.1 mg/kg and sugar-based candies at 0.1
mg/kg to CAC45 for final adoption; and
ii)
the ML for ready-to-eat
meals for infants and young children at 0.02 mg/kg to CAC45 for preliminary
adoption and further consideration at CCCF16 (2023).
1.2.4 Maximum Levels for Methylmercury in Certain Fish Species (Orange
Roughy and Pink Cusk Eel)
1.8. CCCF15 agreed to forward the MLs of 0.8 mg/kg for orange roughy and
1.0 mg/kg for pink cusk eel to CAC45 for final adoption.
1.2.5 Maximum Levels for Total Aflatoxins in Certain Cereals and
Cereal-Based Products Including Foods for Infants and Young Children
1.9. CCCF15 agreed to forward the MLs for maize grain, destined for
further processing; flour meal, semolina and flakes derived from maize; husked
rice; polished rice; sorghum grain, destined for further processing;
cereal-based food for infants and young children (excluding foods for food aid
programs), and cereal-based food for older infants and young children for food
aid/emergency programs to CAC45 for final adoption.
1.2.6 Code of Practice for Prevention and Reduction of Mycotoxin
Contamination in Cassava and Cassava-Based Products
1.10. CCCF15 agreed to advance the Code
of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Mycotoxin Contamination in
Cassava and Cassava-Based Products to CAC45 for preliminary adoption
and further consideration at CCCF16.
1.11. The report of CCCF15 will be available on the Codex webpage.
1.3 32nd Session of FAO/WHO Regional Committee for Europe
(CCEURO32, Virtual, 16‑20 May 2022)
1.12. Issues of relevance to the SPS Committee discussed at CCEURO32
included a keynote speech on sustainability of food systems and the role of
Codex, Codex work relevant to the European region such as the proposed maximum
residue limits (MRLs) for zilpaterol hydrochloride and the application of the
Statements of Principle concerning the role of science in the Codex
decision-making process and the extent to which other factors are taken into
account (SoP), and a side event on food fraud.
1.13. The recordings of the side event on food fraud and the report of
CCEURO32 will be available on the Codex webpage.
2 FORTHCOMING CODEX MEETINGS OF SPS RELEVANCE (As of May 2022; See the
Codex website for the full meeting calendar)
-
82nd Session
of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CCEXEC82,
Virtual, 20-30 June 2022)
-
53rd Session
of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR53, Virtual, 4-13 July 2022)
-
24th Session
of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA24, Virtual, 5‑13 September
2022)
CCAFRICA
will discuss issues related to the use of Codex standards in the region and
other issues important to the region in all Codex committees which may include
also SPS-related matters.
2.1. Regular updates on the status of work of these Committees are
published on their dedicated webpages: CCEXEC82, CCPR53 and CCAFRICA24. For specific questions on
the status of work in Codex committees of interest to SPS delegates please
check the dedicated webpages or send an email to codex@fao.org.
3 GENERAL
3.1. The Codex secretariat in collaboration with Host Country
Secretariats are continuing to convene working group meetings and webinars in
advance of Codex subsidiary sessions to support delegations' preparations and
facilitate discussions and consensus-building. Further information is available
on the Committee webpages and the Codex calendar.
4 WORLD FOOD SAFETY DAY
4.1. World Food Safety Day (WFSD) is an annual celebration to draw
attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne
risks. The theme for WFSD 2022, "Safer food, better health", which
will be celebrated on 7 June 2022, was announced on 7 March. The guide to WFSD explains more about the theme and
offers pointers on what the Day is about and how to get engaged.
4.2. The WFSD slogan "Food safety is everyone's business" is a
reminder that everyone plays a role in keeping food safe. Taking this into
account, the guide and the WFSD event website are aimed at people from the food
industry, academia, schools, governments and the general public. The Codex secretariat
in collaboration with FAO and WHO, are inviting these categories to celebrate
WFSD and use the campaign material available on the WFSD website, which includes social media cards, gadgets
and posters in 34 languages.
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