4 - 8 April 2005

CODEX – Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (26 th Session), Budapest , Hungary

The summary and conclusions of the 26th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling are as follows:

Matters for consideration by the 28th Session of the Commission:

The Committee:

• endorsed several methods of analysis in Codex standards at different steps of the Procedure; and proposed to include a note in CODEX STAN 234-1999 concerning the use of the most updated version of methods of analysis (paras. 53-83 and 88, Appendix III);

Matters for consideration by the 29th Session of the Commission:

• agreed to propose the inclusion of new recommendations on The Use of Analytical Results: Sampling Plans, Relationship between the Analytical Results, the Measurement Uncertainty, Recovery Factors and Provisions in Codex Standards in the Procedural Manual (para. 107, Appendix II);

Other Matters of Interest to the Commission

The Committee:

• agreed to return to Step 6 the Draft Guidelines for Evaluating Acceptable Methods of Analysis (para. 20);
• agreed to return to Step 2/3 the Proposed Draft Guidelines for Settling Disputes on Analytical (Test) Results (para. 42);
• agreed to postpone consideration of the Proposed Draft Recommendations on the Fitness-for-purpose Approach (para. 26);
• agreed to proceed with the review of the current Analytical Terminology for Codex Use in the Procedural Manual (para. 50);
• agreed to consider further at its next session the conversion of methods for trace elements into criteria (para. 99); the criteria for methods of analysis for foods derived from biotechnology (para. 116); and the methods for the determination of dioxins and PCBs (para. 123);
• agreed to consider at its next session the revision of the IUPAC/ISO/AOAC Protocol for Proficiency Testing; and sampling uncertainty (paras. 141-143).