INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES
Communication from the Codex Alimentarius Commission
(codex)
The following communication,
received on 9 March 2023, 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 (9‑11 november
2022)
1.1 CCEXEC and CAC
1.1.1 83rd Session of the Executive Committee of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (Rome, Italy, 14-18 November 2022)
1.1. Matters of relevance arising from CCEXEC83 are referred to in the
decisions of CAC45 concerning 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), the 60th Anniversary of the
Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Codex Strategic Plan 2020-2025, New Food
Sources and Production Systems and the Future of Codex.
1.1.2 45th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Rome,
Italy, 21 November 2022 – 6 February 2023)
1.1.2.1 Standards and related texts
1.2. CAC adopted more than 500 new and revised Codex standards and
related texts, of which of relevance to SPS are as follows:
- 476 MRLs for different combinations of
pesticides/commodity(ies);
- ML for cadmium in cocoa powder (100%
cocoa solids on a dry matter basis);
- MLs for lead in cereal-based foods for
infants and young children, white and refined sugar, corn and maple syrups,
honey and sugar-based candies;
- MLs for methylmercury in orange roughy
and pink cusk eel;
- MLs for total aflatoxins in 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 infants and young children
for food aid programs;
- Code of practice for the prevention and
reduction of cadmium contamination in cocoa beans;
- Guidelines for the recognition of active
substances or authorized uses of active substances of low public health concern
that are considered exempted from the establishment of maximum residue limits
or do not give rise to residues;
- Guidelines for the management of
biological foodborne outbreaks;
- General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC
1-1969) (revision);
- Guidelines for Developing Harmonized
Food Safety Legislation for the CCAFRICA Region (regional guidelines).
1.3. CAC approved new work items on food safety related texts:
- Development of principles and guidelines
on the use of remote audit and verification in regulatory frameworks; and
- Alignment of food hygiene texts with the
revised General Principles on Food Hygiene (CXC 1‑1969).