First Meeting of the IIR Group of Experts
Second Meeting of the IIR Group of Experts
3. At its last session[2], the Codex Alimentarius Commission abolished the Joint UNECE/Codex Alimentarius Group of Experts on Quick Frozen Foods, whose last meeting was held in Rome in 1980. The Commission transferred the work of the Joint Group of Experts to the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables. Among other terms of reference, the Joint Group of Experts was responsible for the development of standards for Quick Frozen Foods in accordance with the general principles of the Codex Alimentarius. It was also responsible for general considerations, definitions, a framework of individual standards for quick frozen food products and for the actual elaboration of standards for quick frozen food products not specially allotted to another Codex [Commodity] Committee.
4. Although the 23rd session of the Commission decided2 that any revision of the Recommended International Code of Practice for the Processing and Handling of Quick Frozen Foods that might be required should be undertaken by the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene, the Executive Committee of the Commission at its 47th Session (Geneva, Switzerland, 28-30 June 2000)[3] agreed to start the revision of the Codex Recommended International Code of Practice for the Processing and Handling of Quick Frozen Foods[4] as new work for the Codex Alimentarius Commission, subject to confirmation by the forthcoming 24th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission according to Rule III.2 of the Procedural Manual.
5. The Executive Committee proposed that the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) prepare the Proposed Draft Revised Code of Practice for Quick Frozen Foods. The IIR is an Intergovernmental Organization with an Observer Status in the Codex Alimentarius Commission. In view of the provision in the Standards Elaboration Procedures, that the Commission decides at Step 1 which subsidiary body or any other body should undertake the work up to the point of Step 5, after which further elaboration would be devoted to the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables and other relevant Codex Committees for endorsement of relevant sections. The decision as to the appointment of experts, and the relationship between experts, the IIR and IIR Member Governments had been left entirely to the IIR.
6. Following the decision of the Executive Committee, the IIR established an international group of government-appointed experts from Australia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America. The Lists of Participants are given in Appendices I and II.
7. At its first meeting, held in Paris, from 4-6 December 2000, the IIR group of experts considered the Codex Recommended International Code of Practice for the Processing and Handling of Quick Frozen Foods and the Codex Draft Code on Fish and Fishery Products.
8. The IIR group of experts mainly restructured the previous Recommended International Code of Practice into six parts, a detailed body text and five technical and explanatory annexes. It highlighted the importance of an existing prerequisite programme throughout the cold chain prior to implementing of a control programme of identified hazards or defects. It introduced the concept of Defect Action Point (DAP) used in the Draft Code on Fish and Fishery Products. It also made a clear distinction between quality aspects (DAP approach) and safety aspects (CCP approach). Temperature monitoring was relocated into the body of the Code as part of the Management of the cold chain and a stepwise approach for the control of the cold chain was developed. The four technical annexes each cover a link in the cold chain (Cold Stores; Quick Freezer Design and Construction; Transport; Retail). A fifth annex was added as an explanatory annex on an illustrative example of Quick Frozen Process DAP/CCP diagram.
9. The Proposed Draft was circulated with CL 2001/01-PFV in January 2001. Six Member countries submitted their comments to the IIR and the Codex Alimentarius Commission Secretariat. An information paper including those comments (IIR/INF01/1)[5] was circulated electronically in mid-March 2001 to Member countries and interested organizations.
10. Concerns were expressed on the confusion the text may introduce between safety and quality aspects. References to DAP and CCP were often mentioned in close proximity in the text and it was unclear which of these provisions should apply at individual steps.
11. The length of the document and its very technical focus were also criticized. The Draft Code was considered much more as a technical review of the state-of-art of Quick Frozen Foods Processors, as applied in the industry, rather than an International Code of Practice as it is commonly understood with Codex Standards. However, all comments welcomed the document by highlighting its high technical value, especially on techniques and procedures for monitoring and measuring temperature of the environments of the products (in cold store, quick freezer, transport container, retail cabinet) as well as the products themselves (surface temperature, in-core temperature and stepwise approach).
12. At its second meeting held in Bristol, from 26-27 March 2001, the IIR group of experts oriented its work on the comments[6] submitted and with the aim of simplifying the text and separating provisions on safety (CCP) from those on quality (DAP). All written comments received were taken into account.
13. The text was then clarified by a full separation of safety and quality provisions as indicated in the attached Proposed Draft revised Code in Appendix III. Temperature Control and Monitoring throughout the cold chain was again separated out as in the Annex 3 of the Draft Code.
