126. The Commission considered the under-mentioned standards at Step 5.
In the absence of information from governments on (a) values for the different categories of cocoa butter provided for in the standard and (b) the quality of substandard cocoa beans to be used for the manufacture of cocoa products and chocolate, and noting that there were a number of provisions in the standard on which the Committee had not yet taken a final position, the Commission decided to return the standard to Step 4 of the Procedure.
The Commission agreed to advance the standards for processed raisins, processed tomato concentrate, canned pears and canned mandarin oranges to Step 6 of the Procedure. The delegations of Yugoslavia and Portugal reserved their positions regarding the provision permitting the use of certain colours in the draft standard for canned pears. The delegation of Yugoslavia reserved its position on the figure for SO2 in the draft standard for processed raisins. The delegation of Japan stated that, while it agreed with the decision of the Commission to advance the above standards to Step 6, it would be necessary to make a few amendments and to correct an editorial error in the draft standard for canned mandarin oranges. The delegation of Japan expressed the wish that this be done at a later stage.
The Commission decided to advance the standards for (a) quickfrozen fillets of plaice and (b) quick-frozen fillets of ocean perch to Step 6 of the Procedure with an instruction that the Committee should not advance them to Step 8 of the Procedure until it was satisfied that it had satisfactorily resolved the problems on defects. The delegations of Australia and Canada had reservations regarding the scope section of these standards and expressed the view that all frozen fillets of fish of these species should be required to comply with the standard.
The Commission decided to advance the standards for canned hams, canned corned beef, canned luncheon meat and canned chopped meat to Step 6 of the Procedure. The Commission noted that there were still a number of issues yet to be resolved, particularly the questions of the method of assessing the meat content of meat products and the methods of analysis to be used. The Commission instructed the SubCommittee that they should not advance these standards to Step 8 of the Procedure until they were satisfied that these issues had been satisfactorily resolved.
The Commission, having noted that the standards for quick-frozen spinach and quick-frozen raspberries followed the pattern of the standard which had been adopted for quick-frozen peas, agreed to advance these two standards to Step 6 of the Procedure. The Commission agreed that the Joint ECE/Codex Group of Experts on the Standardization of Quick-Frozen Foods should, when examining these two standards, pay close attention to the decisions which the Commission had taken regarding the standard for quick-frozen peas.
The Commission decided to advance the standard for low sodium foods to Step 6 of the Procedure.
The Commission decided to advance the tolerances for pesticide residues set out in Appendix VII of ALINORM 70/24 to Step 6 of the Procedure. The Commission recommended that the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues should, when examining these tolerances, establish more precise definitions of the products in which residues were being controlled. The Commission directed the Committee's attention to the change which it had made in the wording of some of the Step 8 tolerances already adopted in respect of certain residues in milk and milk products.
The Commission agreed to advance the Code of Hygienic Practice for Tree Nuts to Step 6 of the Procedure. The delegation of Trinidad and Tobago enquired whether the code applied to coconuts. The delegation of the U.S.A. stated that it was understood that the code did not apply to coconuts. The Commission agreed that the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene should reconsider the scope section to ensure that the extent of the application of the code was made absolutely clear.
The delegation of the Argentine stated that the draft descriptions of cutting methods contained a number of minor errors. The Commission decided to advance the descriptions of cutting methods to Step 6 of the Procedure. It noted that pistol cuts were not included in the draft descriptions before it but agreed that it would be open to the Committee to recommend that Steps 6, 7 and 8 be omitted in the case of pistol cuts which would enable the descriptions of cutting methods, including pistol cuts, to be adopted by the Commission at Step 8 at one and the same time.
