Proposed Draft Codex General Standard for Fruit Juices and Nectars (Agenda Item 3a)
Proposed Draft Revised Codex General Standard for Vegetable Juices (Agenda Item 3b)
Proposed Draft Codex Guidelines for the Labelling of Mixed Fruit Juices and Nectars (Agenda Item 3c)
7. Following the decision of the Codex Alimentarius Commission that existing Codex commodity standards should be revised and simplified as much as possible, the proposed draft Codex General Standard for Fruit Juices and Nectars was prepared by the International Federation of Fruit Juice Producers (IFU) and circulated for comment at Step 3 by the Codex Secretariat.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
8. The Task Force reached a general decision that in order to accurately reflect current marketing practices and similarities between the products being considered, the General Standard should include mixtures of fruit juices and mixtures of fruit nectars in addition to the proposed general provisions for fruit juices and fruit nectars.
9. In view of this decision, the Task Force agreed to include the proposed draft Guidelines for the Labelling of Mixed Fruit Juices and Nectars (agenda item 3c) as an integral part of the General Standard for Fruit Juices and Nectars under Section 7 - Labelling.
Therefore, the Task Force discontinued the consideration of the proposed draft Guidelines for the Labelling of Mixed Fruit Juices and Nectars as a separate issue and decided to inform the Executive Committee accordingly (see paras. 28 and 35).
10. The Task Force further agreed that the proposed draft Revised Codex Standard for Vegetable Juices should be considered separately, with the understanding that it might be incorporated into the General Standard for Fruit Juices and Nectars at its next Session (see para. 34).
Section 1 - Scope
11. The Task Force noted that Section 2.1 - Product Definition, provided a clear indication as to which specific products the General Standard applied and therefore, decided to leave Section 1 - Scope, as drafted.
Section 2.1 - Product Definition
12. There was a lengthy discussion on product definition with opposing views presented. The Task Force however reached the following compromise solution, with the understanding that the issue would be subject to further debate. The Task Force agreed that Section 2.1.1 - Fruit Juice, included fruit juice as well as fruit juice prepared from concentrate and therefore, renumbered Section 2.1.1 to include new subsections 2.1.1.1 (Fruit Juice) and 2.1.1.2 (Fruit Juice from Concentrate) with the appropriate description of provisions applicable to Sections 2.1.1.1 and 2.1.1.2 under new Sections 2.1.1.3, paragraphs (a), (b) and (c).
13. Under the new Section 2.1.1.1 - Fruit Juice, the Task Force deleted the generic reference to the use of processing aids since all substances allowed in the production of fruit juices would be listed in the appropriate section of the Standard (see para. 26).
14. Under the new Section 2.1.1.3 (a) the Task Force clarified the text to indicate that fruit juice may be obtained from fresh fruit or fruit maintained in fresh condition by physical means and/or by treatments approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. However, the reference to post harvest treatments was deleted since this issue was already covered under Section 5.3 - Pesticide Residues.
15. The Task Force reworded the new Section 2.1.1.3 (c) to allow for the production of mixed fruit juices prepared from two or more kinds of fruit. It was also decided to consider the addition and/or restoration of aromatic substances, volatile flavour components, pulps and cells to all juices and puree with the understanding that the final wording of the text would be subject to further debate and therefore, the entire sub-section was placed in square brackets.
Section 2.1.2 - Concentrated Fruit Juice
16. The Task Force greatly expanded this Section to indicate that Concentrated Fruit Juice should comply with the provisions for Fruit Juice except that water should be removed in an amount sufficient to increase the Brix level by 50% or more (in square brackets). The Task Force also clarified the processes used in the production of concentrated fruit juice and agreed to include a similar text concerning the production of concentrated mixed fruit juices to this section as had been accomplished in Section 2.1.1.3 (c) (see para. 15).
Section 2.1.3 - Fruit Nectar
17. The Title of the Section was revised to read as “Fruit Nectar” for consistency with other provision titles. The Task Force clarified this Section to indicate that the addition of water to fruit juice or concentrated fruit juice was required in the production of fruit nectar, and that the addition of sugars, honey, and sweeteners, was optional.
Section 2.1.4 - Fruit Puree
18. The Task Force agreed not to restrict the processes used to produce fruit puree by referring to “appropriate processes (e.g., sieving, grinding, milling)”.
Water Extracted Concentrated Fruit Juice
19. The Task Force noted a proposal from Brazil to include a new section for Water Extracted Concentrated Fruit Juice.
Section 2.3 - Extraction Process
20. The Task Force deleted this Section in its entirety as it was adequately addressed in the new Section 2.1.2 - Concentrated Fruit Juice.
Section 3.1.1 (a) - Soluble Solids
21. The Task Force removed the term “condensed” from Section 3.1.1(a) (ii) as the word was not defined within the Standard.
22. As the Task Force noted that the WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality contained maximum level provisions for many different contaminants, it was agreed that the specific maximum levels for nitrate and sodium in Section 3.1.1(a) (iii) should be removed. However, the reference to the WHO Guidelines was maintained so that potable water used in the production of reconstituted juice from concentrate would at a minimum meet the maximum level provisions for contaminants contained therein.
Section 3.1.1(b) - Table for Minimum Brix Levels
23. As it was noted that single strength juice consisted of simple juice extractions, it was suggested that the column for minimum Brix level for single strength juices as well as Section 3.1.1(a) (i) should be deleted. It was also suggested that an additional column was required to address fruit purees, and that the table should only include products traded in significant amounts. However, the Task Force agreed to leave the table unchanged pending further discussions (see para. 31).
Section 3.1.2 - Other Permitted Ingredients Subject to Ingredient Labelling Requirements
24. The Task Force agreed to add a new sub-section 3.1.2 (g) to allow for the addition of essential nutrients for fortification purposes in accordance with those texts established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for this purpose. The Task Force was informed that this provision did not include dietary fibre as this subject was still under discussion by the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Purposes. The Task Force agreed to leave the remainder of Section 3.1.2 unchanged pending further discussions.
Section 4 - Food Additives
25. The Task Force was informed that all provisions in respect of food additives would require endorsement by the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants on the basis of technological justification provided by the Task Force and in conformance with the General Principles for the Use of Food Additives and the Preamble to the Codex General Standard for Food Additives, preferably after the standards have been advanced to Step 5. Therefore, the Task Force decided to maintain the maximum levels for food additives as proposed, pending further development of the Standard.
26. The Task Force was informed that processing aids were also subject to endorsement by the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants and that the addition of such substances to the Standard would be discussed at its next Session (see para. 13).
Section 5 - Contaminants
27. The Task Force deleted the maximum levels for contaminants as proposed, pending the further development of the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Foods by the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants. The general statement that “The products covered by the provisions of this Standard shall comply with those maximum levels established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission” was included in this Section as had been accomplished for other standards finalized by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Section 7 - Labelling
28. As the Task Force could not reach a consensus on modifications to this Section, it was decided to place the entire Section as drafted in square brackets pending further discussion at its next meeting. It was also decided that this Section should incorporate the proposed draft Codex Guidelines for the Labelling of Mixed Fruit Juices and Nectars (CL 2000/04-FJ) (see paras. 9 and 35) and should take account of the relevant provisions contained in the Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods and written comments submitted at the current meeting.
Section 8 - Methods of Analysis and Sampling
29. The Task Force decided to assign responsibility for the revision and updating of methods of analysis for both fruit (CL 2000/01-FJ, Tables I and II) and vegetable juices to a drafting group lead by Canada, with the participation of Brazil, Spain, USA and the IFU, with the understanding that a consolidated list would be presented for consideration by the Task Force at its next meeting. In taking this decision, the Task Force indicated that the methods of analysis were “under development” in Section 8.
STATUS OF THE PROPOSED DRAFT CODEX GENERAL STANDARD FOR FRUIT JUICES AND NECTARS
30. The Task Force agreed to return the proposed draft Codex General Standard for Fruit Juices and Nectars to Step 3 (see Appendix II) for circulation and comment by 1 February 2001.
31. It decided to assign the revision of the General Standard to a drafting group led by Brazil, with the assistance of the United States as rapporteur and the participation of France, Germany, Spain, Thailand and the IFU. It was agreed that the drafting group would work by correspondence and would primarily focus its efforts on those undecided provisions of the Standard.
32. It was stressed that the drafting group would consider written comments submitted at the current meeting as well as additional comments submitted at Step 3 (by 1 February 2001) to the Codex Secretariat. It was further decided that all comments submitted would be provided to members of the drafting group by the Codex Secretariat in a timely manner. The Task Force further agreed that the revised Standard to be considered at its next Session would include all comments submitted at Step 3 as well as a clear explanation and justification in regard to decisions taken by the drafting group.
33. The Task Force agreed to return the proposed draft Revised Codex General Standard for Vegetable Juices to Step 3 (see Appendix III) for circulation and comment by 1 February 2001.
34. The Task Force decided that the proposed draft Revised General Standard for Vegetable Juices would be considered by the same drafting group established above and in accordance with the same working procedures (see paras. 31-32). It was further agreed that the proposed draft Revised Codex Standard for Vegetable Juices would be considered by the drafting group separately from the proposed draft Codex General Standard for Fruit Juices and Nectars with the understanding that the Standards might be combined at the next session of the Task Force on the basis of the drafting group discussions (see para. 10).
35. In view of previous decisions (see paras. 9 and 28), the Task Force decided to inform the Executive Committee of its decision to discontinue the consideration of the proposed draft Codex Guidelines for the Labelling of Mixed Fruit Juices and Nectars.
