Codex Report (REP 11/FFP),11 - 16 April 2011

CODEX COMMITTEE - Report of the 31st Session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products, Tromsø, Norway

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The summary and conclusions of the 31st Session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products are as follows:

Matters for adoption by the Commission:

The Committee:

• advanced to Step 8 and Step 5/8 the Draft Standard for Fish Sauce; the Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (section on smoked fish and relevant definitions); the Proposed Draft Amendment to Section 3.4.5.1 Water of the Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products; and the Proposed Draft Amendment to the Standard for Quick Frozen Fish Sticks.
• advanced to Step 5 the Proposed Draft Standard for Quick Frozen Scallop Adductor Muscle Meat; and the Proposed Draft Standard for Fresh/Live and Frozen Abalone (Haliotis spp).

Proposals for New Work

The Committee agreed to submit to the Commission, through the Executive Committee proposals for new work on:

• Proposed Draft Criteria/Parameters for screening methods for biotoxins in the Standard for Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs; and
• Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (section on Sturgeon Caviar).

Other matters

The Committee agreed to

• request the Commission to amend the Preamble of Section 6, Aquaculture Products of the Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products as on-going work on the Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products; and
• express its concern to the Commission concerning the provisions forwarded for adoption by the CFA on food colours carotene beta- (vegetable), 160a (ii) with Note 16: “for use in glaze, coatings or decorations for fruit, vegetables, meat or fish” in Food Category 9.1.1 “Fresh Fish”, as this may lead to cases where glazings with colours are used to falsify fresh fish and to mislead the consumer about the freshness of the fish and fishery products.

Other matters of interest to the Commission:

The Committee:

• agreed to return the Proposed Draft Code of Practice on the Processing of Scallop Meat and the Proposed Draft Performance Criteria for Reference and Confirmatory Methods for Marine Biotoxins in the Standard for Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs to Step 3 for comments and consideration at its next session;
• agreed to return to Step 2/3 for redrafting, comments and further discussion at the next session, the Proposed Draft Revision of the Procedure for the Inclusion of Additional Species in Standards for Fish and Fishery Products; and the Proposed Draft Amendment to the Standard for Quick Frozen Fish Sticks (Nitrogen Factor for Atlantic Hake);
• agreed to hold at Step 7, the Proposed Draft Standard for Smoked Fish, Smoke-Flavoured Fish and Smoke-Dried Fish pending the development of the section on food additives, comments and consideration at the next session and to further consider food additive provisions in standards for fish and fishery products at its next session, based on proposals by an electronic working group; and
• agreed to consider how to proceed with the proposed draft appendices on optional final product requirements in the Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products; a discussion paper on the public health risk of histamine from fish and fishery products; and a proposal for a code of practice for fish sauce at the next session.

Matters of interest to Other Committees and Task Forces

Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH)

The Committee agreed to:

• request the advice of CCFH on whether to retain the criteria for Salmonella in the Standard for Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs taking into account the final report of the FAO/WHO Expert Group on Salmonella in Bivalve Molluscs; and
• inform the CCFH of its decisions on the proposals from CCFH on the hygiene provisions in the Standard for Smoked Fish, Smoke-Flavoured Fish and Smoke-Dried Fish.

Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS)

• The Committee agreed to request CCFICS to consider the proposed amendments to the Generic Model Certificate.

Matters for FAO

The Committee noted that scientific advice from FAO/WHO might be needed in the work on the review of public health risk of histamine from fish and fishery product.