ALINORM 03/26/1 - codex - BSN

REP12/CAC 25
MATTERS REFERRED TO THE COMMISSION BY CODEX COMMITEES AND TASK FORCES
(Agenda Item 9) 37
A. Matters Related to Requests from the Commission
153. The Commission noted several matters arising from the reports of Codex Committees in relation to
requests from previous sessions of the Commission, as presented in CX/CAC 12/35/10 Add.1.
154. The following paragraphs provide additional information on the comments made and decisions taken
on certain items.
Proposed Draft Standard for Processed Cheese
155. The Chairperson briefly recalled the history of the consideration of the standard for processed cheese
in the Committee for Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP) and in the Commission. The standard had been
considered for more than fourteen years in Codex and the Chairperson noted the difficulties to achieve
progress in developing this standard, including the difficulty to define its scope. The Chairperson also
recalled that the 33 rd CAC deferred making the decision on discontinuation of work on this standard, pending
advice and comments from the FAO/WHO coordinating committees. He also recalled that, in its last effort to
make a decision on this item, the 34 th CAC tasked the Codex Secretariat, supported by the Chairperson of the
CCMMP, to gather additional information from members, which would help document, amongst other things,
whether processed cheese is amenable to standardization and whether there are documented impediments to
trade in this commodity internationally, which the development of this standard would help mitigate. The
outcome of this survey was reflected in document CX/CAC 12/35/10.
156. The Chairperson summarized the main findings of the survey, based on input from members as
follows:
- The survey did not identify any major documented impediments or problems in international trade in
processed cheese, despite the increase in the trade of this commodity over the past period.
- The survey identified a high number of variations for compositional and functional characteristics for
this commodity, making it not amenable to standardisation, within the current attempts to scope the
work on this standard.
- The survey also confirmed that general safety and labelling requirements for processed cheese are well
covered by current Codex standards, including the code for hygienic practice for milk and milk
products.
157. The Commission noted that the 67 th CCEXEC had agreed with the recommendation presented in
CX/CAC 12/35/10 and had recommended to discontinue work on the Standard given the findings described
above.
158. The Chairperson sought the Commission’s concurrence with the recommendation of the 67 th CCEXEC
to discontinue work, while acknowledging that the absence of a Codex standard for this commodity did not
prevent competent authorities from developing their own requirements to manage this commodity at the
national level and noting that, should there be gaps identified in the future, related to safety or quality of
processed cheese, these gaps could be addressed by a proposal for new work by the relevant Codex
committee.
159. Some delegations noted that a relatively small numbers of replies had been submitted in response to
the CL 2011/20-CAC/MMP and that countries needed more time to collect and compile information on
problems associated with the trade of processed cheese, scope of the standard and how to address the specific
issues related to the composition and other characteristics of these products. Some delegations were of the
view that the analysis presented in document CX/CAC 12/35/10 did not address the concerns of countries
which supported the development of the standard, in particular the need to ensure the safety of processed
cheese, largely consumed by children, through specific provisions for food additives, contaminants and
hygiene as a tool for importing countries to support their food control system. In view of the constraints to
develop an international standard, some delegations supported the development of regional standards to
address these needs.
37 CX/CAC 12/35/10; CX/CAC 12/35/10 Add.1; CX/CAC 12/35/10 Add.2; CRD 11 (Comments of IFAH); CRD 21 (Comments of
European Union); CRD 24 (Comments of Dominican Republic)