[Note that development of a Codex Commodity standard includes specific consideration of food safety areas including appropriate uses of food additives and pesticides, consideration of good manufacturing and good hygienic practices, and the prevention of excessive levels of environmental contaminants. Additionally, FDA has regulatory responsibility for enforcement of many products in this category]

Proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products

• Sections 1 to 6 and 13 of document were forwarded for adoption at Step 5, and the remaining sections were returned to Step 3 for redrafting and further consideration.
• The United Kingdom, Canada and France have the lead, as the drafting group for this document.
• FDA has the lead for the US: Philip Spiller, George Hoskin, and Timothy Hansen will provide the technical support for this work.
• Rationale for work: To provide a general code of practice for fish and fishery Products. The Committee agreed to forward the Proposed Draft Code, Section 1 to 6 and 13, to the 24th Session of the Commission for adoption at Step 5, with the understanding that it would be forwarded to the Committee on Food Hygiene for endorsement. The other sections were returned to Step 3 for redrafting and further consideration (additional technical review) by the next session.
• Expected work activities for 2001: The U.S. will serve as coordinating country along with Japan for the revision of the section on Frozen Surimi, and with Germany on the revision of the section on Frozen Coated Products. In addition, the U.S. agreed to develop the section on Retail and to participate along with the Netherlands, Thailand, and Norway, in the work on aquaculture.

Labeling of Fish Sticks: The Use of Fish "Content" in the Declaration on the Proportion of Fish

• The Committee agreed that the amendment be held at Step 6.
• A Working Group coordinated by the United Kingdom and including Canada, Germany, Norway, South Africa and the United States will have the lead for this work.
• FDA has the lead for the US: Timothy Hansen and Johnny Braddy provide the technical support for this work.
• Rationale for work: The Committee on Food Labeling at its last Session had agreed in principle that the declaration of fish content should be included in the labeling section and asked the CCFFP to consider a definition of “fish content” and the method for its determination. Until such time as these issues are resolved, “content” will continue to be measured by AOAC Method 996.15, which was developed to measure “core.”
• Expected work activities for 2001: Active participation in the study of the issue pertaining to the development of a definition for fish “content” and its method of determination.

Draft Standard for Dried Salted Anchovies

• Document is at Step 6 of the Codex procedure.
• Coordinating Committee for Asia (CCASIA) has the lead for this document.
• FDA has the lead for the US: Johnny Braddy provides the technical support for this work.
• Rationale for work: To develop a commodity standard for this product type. The Committee agreed to return the Draft Standard as amended during the 24th Session to Step 6 for further comment, especially on the decomposition section, for consideration by the next session.
• Expected work activities for 2001: Provide U.S. comments on the revised draft standard to the appropriate lead country.

Proposed Draft Standard for Molluscan Shellfish

• Document is at Step 3 of the Codex procedure.
• The Netherlands has the lead for this document.
• FDA has the lead for the US: Timothy Hansen and Johnny Braddy provide the technical support for this work.
• Rationale for work: To develop a commodity standard for this product type. The Committee agreed to circulate the Proposed Draft Standard at Step 3 for Government comments and redrafting by the Netherlands, by the next session.
• Expected work activities for 2001: Provide U.S. comments on the revised proposed draft standard to the Netherlands.

Proposed Draft Standard for Smoked Fish

• Document is at Step 3 of the Codex procedure.
• Denmark has the lead for this document.
• FDA has the lead for the US: George Hoskin provides the technical support for this work.
• Rationale for work: To develop a commodity standard for this product type. The Committee agreed that the Scope should be more general and should cover both cold and hot smoking without excluding specific species, and that clarification on the integration of liquid smoke into the scope should be addressed.
• Expected work activities for 2001: Provide U.S. comments on the revised proposed draft standard to Denmark.

Proposed Draft Standard for Scallops

• To be circulated at Step 3 for comments, subject to approval by the Commission as new work.
• Canada has the lead for this document
• FDA has the lead for the US: Mary Snyder and Timothy Hansen provide the technical support for this work.
• Rationale for work: To develop a commodity standard for this product type. The Committee agreed to initiate the elaboration of a standard on scallops, subject to the approval of the Commission as new work. All interested Member Governments were invited to participate in the drafting of the proposed standard.
• Expected work activities for 2001: Provide U.S. comments on the proposed draft standard to Canada.

Proposed Draft Amendment to the Standard for Quick Frozen Lobsters

• Recommended amendment to a Codex Standard to include the species Cervimundia johni and Pleuroncodes monodon.
• Chile has the lead for this document.
• FDA has the lead for the US: Mary Snyder provides the technical support for this work.
• Rationale for work: The Committee agreed that the Codex Standard for Quick Frozen Lobsters should be amended to include both species, i.e., Pleuroncodes monodon and Cervimundia johni, subject to the approval of the Commission as new work; and it also agreed that the Delegation of Chile would provide a proposed draft amendment for consideration by the next session.
• Expected work activities for 2001: Provide U.S. comments on the proposed draft amendment to the standard to the lead country.

Model Certificate for Fish and Fishery Products

• To be circulated at Step 3 for comments, subject to approval by the Commission as new work.
• Canada and Norway have the lead for this document.
• FDA has the lead for the US: Mary Snyder and Timothy Hansen provide the technical support for this work.
• Rationale for work: To develop a model export certificate for fish and fishery products. The Committee noted that the document had not been circulated for comments due to time constraints and agreed that it should be circulated at Step 3 for comments, subject to the approval of the Commission as new work.
• Expected work activities for 2001: The U.S. intends to participate in the developmental work on certificates leading up to the next session of the CCFFP.