Foodlaw-Reading Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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Food Law News - FAO / WHO / WTO / Codex - 2014

Codex Meeting Report, 11-12 February 2014

CODEX  - Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs: Report of 1st Session

The full report is available at: Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs: Report of 1st Session

The First Session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs reached the following conclusions:

Matters for Approval by the 37th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission

Matters for Approval (New Work)

The Committee agreed to submit to the 37th Session of the Commission, through the Executive Committee, the proposals for the following new work:

• Standard for Black, White and Green Pepper (para. 62 and Appendix II);
• Standard for Cumin (para. 65 and Appendix III);
• Standard for Oregano (para. 68 and Appendix IV); and
• Standard for Thyme (para. 72).

Matters Referred / Interest to Codex Committees

Committees on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV) and on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV)

The Committee:

• Agreed to seek clarification from the upcoming sessions of CCFFV and CCPFV as to whether paprika was in their workplan (para. 60 and CX/SCH 14/1/6).

Matters Referred / Interest to Codex Committees

The Committee:

• Agreed that; (i) the CCSCH would meet approximately every 18 months with five-days session depending on the workload (para. 29); (ii) the number of working documents related to standards on spices and culinary herbs would be flexible and to find a balance between the work on spices and culinary herbs depending on proposals submitted (para.31); (iii) at each session an in-session working group would review the proposals for new work, submitted in reply to a Circular Letter, against the prioritisation criteria in the Procedural Manual (para.34); (v) at its next session it would consider a proposal for grouping of spices and culinary herbs and to use the Codex Format of Commodity Standards for the development of new standards (paras 39-40); and (vi) it would use the Codex criteria to prioritise its work (para.49).
• Noted that India was prepared to co-host a session of CCSCH with Nigeria after the first two or three session (para. 44).