Codex Report (REP11/FA), 14 – 18 March 2011

CODEX - Report of the 43rd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives, Xiamen, China

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The Forty-third Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives reached the following conclusions:

Matters for Adoption/Consideration by the 34th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission

Draft and proposed draft Standards and Related Texts for adoption at Steps 8 or 5/8

The Committee forwarded:

• Draft and proposed draft food additive provisions of the General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA), for adoption at Steps 8 and 5/8 respectively;
• Proposed draft revision of the Food Category System of the GSFA (food categories 5.1, 5.3 and 5.4) (N07-2010) for adoption at Step 5/8;
• Proposed draft amendments to the International Numbering System for Food Additives, for adoption at Step 5/8; and
• Proposed draft Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives, for adoption at Step 5/8.

Proposed draft Standards and Related Texts for adoption at Step 5

• Proposed draft revision of the Standard for Food Grade Salt (CODEX STAN 150-1985) (N08-2010), for adoption at Step 5.

Other Matters for adoption

The Committee forwarded:

• Amendments to food additives provisions for antioxidants and preservatives of food category 04.1.2.2 “dried fruits” of the GSFA, for adoption;
• Amendment to Section 4 “Carry-over of Food Additives” of the Preamble of the GSFA, for adoption; and
• Amendment to “Explanatory notes on the lay-out of the INS” Section 1 of the Class Names and International Numbering System for Food Additives for adoption (CAC/GL 36-1989).

Codex Standard and Related Texts for revocation

The Committee agreed to request the 34th Session of the Commission to revoke:

• Food additive provisions of the GSFA.

Other Matters for information by the 34th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission

The Committee agreed:

That there was no need to revise its risk analysis principles as to their applicability to animal feed and that Activity 2.2 of the Strategic Plan was completed;

To discontinue work on a number of draft and proposed draft food additive provisions of the GSFA;

To continue work on a decision-tree approach for the alignment of the food additives provisions in commodity standards and the GSFA and prepare a proposal for the revision of the food additive provisions of the five standards for processed meat.

Matters Referred to Codex Committees and Task Forces

All active commodity committees

• The Committee agreed to refer the food additive provisions, forwarded to the 34th Session of the Commission for adoption, to the appropriate active commodity committee for information and comments on their applicability to the relevant commodity standards.

Committee on General Principles (CCGP)

• The Committee agreed that there was no need to revise its risk analysis principles and that Activity 2.2 of the Strategic Plan was completed and agreed that separate risk analysis principles for the CCFA and the CCCF were useful; it further concluded that there was no need to revise the definition of “hazard”.

Committee on Processed Fruits and vegetables (CCPFV)

• The Committee invited the CCPFV to consider the use of other food additives in the products covered by the Standard for Canned Bamboo Shoot and the Annex on Certain Mushrooms.

FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Asia (CCASIA)

• The Committee invited CCASIA to consider the use of other food additives in the products covered by the regional standards for Chili Sauce and for Fermented Soybean Paste.

Committee on Nutrition and Food for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU)

• The CCFA agreed with the two main recommendations of document CX/FA 11/43/5 regarding the three general questions of CCNFSDU on use of food additives in baby food and their evaluation by JECFA and to forward the document to the CCNFSDU for consideration;
• The CCFA agreed to request the CCNFSDU to clarify the applicability of the carry-over principles to the standards falling in food categories 13.1 and 13.2 of the GSFA.

Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS)

• The CCFA agreed to forward the section on method of analysis of the proposed draft revision of the Standard for Food Grade Salt (CODEX STAN 150-1985).