INDIA IN
THE WORKING GROUP ON FOOD STANDARD
India has effectively put forward its viewpoints
at the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV)
at Texas, USA and persuaded the committee to include appropriate
amendments and provisions in the standards being adopted for canned
bamboo shoots, canned stone fruit, aqueous coconut products and
handling of quite frozen fruits. The Committee was adopting stricter
standards in case of these products which would have been a major
handicap for India. India has also been included as member of
working Groups on priority themes for next meeting where tender
coconut water has been included in the priority list.
The delegates to the 21st Session
of CCPFV held recently pleaded for urgently addressing India’s
concern at the meeting following which New Delhi was made member
of the working groups formed for Canned Tomato Concentrate and
Canned vegetables.
In the meanwhile, other working groups constituted
for the items to be considered in the next CCPFV meetings two
years later have been identified and the Ministry is considering
participating in these groups. The Ministry is also trying to
identify and focus on issues for the next Codex Committee to improve
relevance of India in these discussions. The Codex
Laboratory set up at Central Food Technology
Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore has been asked to set agenda
for the country for different Codex Committees. The Ministry is
also trying to generate data on volume of trade in each commodity
and items critical for trade in India.
A key area of work of the Ministry of Food Processing
Industries is to lay down food standards and represent the country’s
position in international fora, particularly Codex Alimentarius
Commission. While the Ministry of Health is the National Codex
point, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries has been designated
convenor for five Shadow Committees, which means that the Ministry
has to prepare the country’s position in respect of subjects looked
after by the Codex Committees whenever the respective committees
meet internationally.
