Foodlaw-Reading Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....

Food Law News - FAO / WHO / WTO / Codex - 2014

Codex Report, 21 November 2014

CODEX: Committee on Food Hygiene: Report of 46th Session

The Forty-sixth Session of the Committee on Food Hygiene reached the following conclusions:

MATTERS FOR ADOPTION BY THE 38TH SESSION OF THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION:

The Committee agreed to forward:

• amendments to the hygiene sections of five meat commodity standards for adoption (para. 12 and Appendix III); the draft Guidelines for the Control of Trichinella spp. in Meat of Suidae; and the proposed draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Low-Moisture Foods for adoption at Steps 8 and 5/8, respectively (para. 33 and Appendix IV and para. 44 and Appendix V).

MATTERS OF INTEREST TO THE COMMISSION

The Committee:

• provided replies concerning the monitoring of the implementation of the Codex Strategic Plan 2014 – 2019 as to those activities relevant to the work of CCFH (para. 9 and Appendix II);
• agreed to make available on the Codex website the “Process by which the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) will Undertake its Work” as an information document (para. 10);
• discontinued work on the annex on statistical and mathematical considerations to the Principles and Guidelines for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria Related to Foods and inserted a footnote to the FAO/WHO “Risk Managers Guide to the Statistical Aspects of Microbiological Criteria Related to Foods” in sections 4.5, 4.8 and 4.9 of the aforementioned Guidelines (paras 36 – 37);
• returned the proposed draft Guidelines for Control of Nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. in Beef and Pork Meat; and on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Foodborne Parasites to Step 2 for redrafting, circulation for comments at Step 3 and consideration at its next session (para. 59 and para. 67);
• agreed to continue work on the need to revise the Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CAC/RCP 53-2003) (paras 72-73); and to consider a discussion paper on the revision of the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CAC/RCP 1-1969) and its HACCP annex (para. 80);
• agreed that a proposal for a Standard for Frozen and Chilled Meat was not within the mandate of CCFH (para. 76); and that a discussion paper on verotoxigenic E. coli in beef should be submitted in response to the Circular Letter requesting new work proposals (para. 82); and
• maintained the “Forward Workplan for CCFH” unchanged (para. 83 and Appendix VI).

REQUEST TO FAO/WHO

The Committee requested FAO/WHO to:

• conduct a systematic literature review to ensure that any relevant measures for control of Salmonella in beef and pork are identified (paras 58a); and
• convene an Expert Meeting to review the technical basis of mitigation/intervention measures for control of Salmonella in beef and pork (para. 58b).

MATTERS OF INTEREST TO OTHER COMMITTEES

CCFFP

The Committee:

• agreed to inform CCFFP of the ongoing work on the proposed draft Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Foodborne Parasites (para. 64).

A copy of the full report can be see on the Codex website at: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/download/report/908/REP15_FHe.pdf