67. The Commission at its Fifth Session considered a proposal by Switzerland to set up a Codex Committee on Soups and Broths and decided that, before proceeding further with this subject, it would be necessary to collect information on national regulations for soups and broths and to try to assess the importance of these products in international trade.
68. The Commission considered a paper which had been prepared by the delegation of Switzerland, the FAO Legislation Branch and the Commission's Secretariat. During the discussion on the paper it was pointed out that in a number of countries soups containing meat were regarded as meat products. It would therefore be necessary to consider carefully which one of the existing Codex committees should be authorized to commence work in this field. It was further pointed out that it might prove to be difficult to reach international agreement on compositional standards for soups and broths and therefore great care would need to be taken in deciding upon the range and nature of products to be included in any work undertaken by the Commission.
69. Several delegations emphasized the need for work on labelling, hygiene and food additives in connection with soups and broths. Others stressed that, in view of the extensive international trade in soups and broths, minimum compositional requirements should also be established. The delegation of Switzerland informed the Commission that the Government of Switzerland would be willing to accept responsibility for the chairmanship of a Codex committee to elaborate world-wide standards for soups and broths. The Coordinator for Europe also stated that the Coordinating Committee for Europe could undertake work in this field on a regional basis. The Commission, however, considered that if work were to be commenced on standards for these products it should be on a world-wide basis in view of the extensive international trade.
70. The Commission expressed its appreciation for the background paper on soups and broths and indicated that this was the type of report which it would expect in future in accordance with the guidelines for work priorities. The Commission agreed that work on soups and broths should be undertaken at some time in the future. The Secretariat was asked to send out a questionnaire to Member Governments seeking information on the following points:
The Commission agreed to review at its next session a paper based on replies to the above questionnaire and to decide the nature and scope of the work and what type of subsidiary body should undertake this work.
