PREFACE

CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS	WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
JOINT OFFICE: Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 ROME Tel: 52251 Telex: 625825-625853 FAO I Cables: Foodagri Rome Facsimile: (6)5225.4593
CX 4/50.2	CL 1995/46-MAS October 1995

To:	- Codex Contact Points
	- Participants at the Twentieth Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling
	- Interested International Organizations
From:	Chief, Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, FAO Vialle delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy
Subject:	Distribution of the Report of the Twentieth Session, of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS).

The report of the Twentieth Session of the above Committee (ALINORM 97/23) will be considered by the Twenty-second Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Geneva, 23-28 June 1997).

PART A: MATTERS FOR ADOPTION BY THE COMMISSION

The following matters will be brought to the attention of the 22^nd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission for adoption:

i. The IUPAC/ISO/AOAC Harmonized Guidelines for Internal Quality Control in Analytical Chemistry Laboratories (ALINORM 97/23, para. 40) and

ii. Amendment to the Committee’s Terms of Reference (ALINORM 97/23, para. 64).

Governments wishing to propose amendments or to submit comments regarding the implications which the above matters have for their economic interest should do so in writing, in conformity with the Codex Alimentarius Commission Procedural Manual, to the Chief, Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, FAO, Vialle delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy, no later than 31^st April 1996.

PART B: DOCUMENTS TO BE ELABORATED FOR GOVERNMENT COMMENTS PRIOR TO THE NEXT SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE

i. Proposed Draft Codex General Guidelines on Sampling (para. 10);

ii. Development of objective criteria for assessing the competence of testing laboratories involved in the official import and export control of foods (para. 22) and

iii. Harmonization of analytical terminology in accordance with international standards (para. 34).

PART C: REQUEST FOR COMMENTS AND INFORMATION

i. Criteria for evaluating acceptable methods of analysis for Codex purposes (para. 18) and

ii. Review of methods of analysis using ozone-depleting substances (para 61).