UNITED

NATIONS

Distr.

GENERAL

TRADE/WP.7/2000/11/Add.23

14 December 2000

ORIGINAL : ENGLISH

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE

COMMITTEE FOR TRADE, INDUSTRY AND

ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

Working Party on Standardization of

Perishable Produce and Quality Development

Fifty-sixth session, Geneva, 6 to 8 November 2000

REPORT OF ITS FIFTY-SIXTH SESSION

Addendum 23

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE CODEX SECRETARIAT

Note by the secretariat: This document contains the information presented by the representative of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme at the fifty-sixth session of the Working Party.

GE.00-

Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

The 9th Session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (Mexico City, 9-13 October 2000) finalized the draft standards for Tannia (Tiquisque in Spanish, Chou caraibe in French), Papaya (revised), Cape Gooseberry and Asparagus. The draft standard for asparagus is harmonized with the corresponding UNECE standard. The Committee also finalized the provisions on Minimum Juice Content to complete the Standard for Limes (which had been adopted in 1999) .

The Proposed Draft Standard for Cassava was forwarded to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for provisional adoption as a draft standard (Step 5 of the Codex Procedure). It was agreed to redraft the Draft Standard for Yellow Pitahaya to include other varieties of pitahaya with a different colour (red or white).

The Committee considered the Draft Standard for Oranges and agreed to establish a drafting group to work on maturity requirements, including requirements for green oranges.

The Committee agreed that the proposed draft standard for apples, table grapes and tomatoes should be redrafted for consideration by the next session. It was confirmed that this work was assigned to a specific country, with the assistance of others when necessary.

The Draft Code of Practice for the Quality Inspection and Certification of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables will be redrafted as a Guide for the Quality Control of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables including only the requirements which are specific to the inspection of fruit and vegetables, since the general aspects are covered by other general Codex texts on inspection and certification.

Other Committees

As regards Codex work in other areas of interest, the Committee on Food Hygiene made substantial progress on the development of a Code of Hygienic Practice for Primary Production, Harvesting and Packaging of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables and a Code of Hygienic Practice for Pre-cut Fruits and Vegetables; which were forwarded to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for provisional adoption (draft code of practice).

The Guidelines for the Production Processing Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods were adopted in 1999 (general requirements and vegetable products). The provisions for livestock production were finalized by the Codex Committee on Food labelling in 2000 and will be forwarded to the Commission for final adoption in 2001.