49. At the 29th Session of the Committee, it was proposed to initiate the revision of the standard wording for use by Codex Committees in relation to Food Hygiene Provisions currently contained in the Procedural Manual to take into account revisions to the General Principles of Food Hygiene and the use of risk-based control systems.[12] This proposal was subsequently approved by the 22nd Session of the Commission as new work.[13]
50. The Codex Secretariat introduced a document containing an analysis of the current wording of the Section and proposals for revision, consisting of three options.[14] Noting the vital role of the General Principles of Food Hygiene as the basic Codex guiding document in food hygiene, a majority of countries supported Option 3, which implied that distinctive wordings according to the nature of the product be removed; the reference to the General Principles of Food Hygiene be updated; and the provision on product examination and sampling plans be replaced by the reference to the Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Foods (CAC/GL 21-1997).
51. After closely examining the wording of Option 3, the Committee felt that the second bullet point requiring the product to be free from objectionable matters was covered by the reference to the Revised General Principles of Food Hygiene in the first bullet point. The Committee also agreed to delete the phrase "(A list may follow)" in the first bullet point and simplify the wording of the last bullet point. It was also agreed to remove the footnote indicated by an asterisk in the last bullet point, because the issue was covered by the reference to the Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Foods (CAC/GL 21-1997).
52. The Committee considered the proposal from the Delegation of France to include a reference to the Guidelines for the Design, Operation, Assessment and Accreditation of Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems but agreed not to include it in the provision. The Committee also felt that an additional provision on the working relationship between Codex Committees, as proposed by the United States, was not necessary.
STATUS OF THE DRAFT AMENDMENT TO THE FOOD HYGIENE PROVISIONS IN "RELATIONS BETWEEN COMMODITY COMMITTEES AND GENERAL COMMITTEES"
53. The Committee decided to submit the wording in Option 3 as amended in the Draft Amendment to the Food Hygiene Provisions in "Relations Between Commodity Committees and General Committees" in the Procedural Manual to the Commission, for endorsement at its 23rd Session, while informing the Committee on General Principles accordingly. The Draft Amendment is attached to this report as Appendix VI.
