. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/CHE/25
29 June 2001
(01-3252)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  SWITZERLAND
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Federal Office of Public Health, Berne
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, whereapplicable).  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable:  Foodstuffs – Food additives
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Draft Modification of the Ordinance
on Additives Authorized for Foodstuffs (Additive Ordinance) (149 pages)
http:// wwwe-bag.root.adm in.ch/verbrau/lebensmi/lmrecht/revisionen/f/index.htm
5. Description of content:
- 56 additives will be authorized, such as for example the azo dye Tartrazin E 102, Red
2G E 128, Brown HT E 155, the preservative  Nisin E 234, Natamycin E 235 (only for
surface treatment of hard cheese and cheese for slicing and for dried, cured sausage)
and Lysozym E1105 (only in ripened cheese), the polysorbate E 432-E436, thesorbitan fatty acid ester E 491-495;
- 6 additives (carbon dioxide, argon, helium, nitrogen, dinitrogen monoxide and
oxygen) will be authorized without restriction in all foodstuffs (as propellants,
foaming agents or packing gas);
- 130 additives, 17 of which are subject to quantitative limits, will be authorized – apart
from untreated foodstuffs, some dairy products, honey, salad oil and nutrient fat,
butter, mineral water, coffee, tea and pasta – in foodstuffs on a general basis;
- In dairy products with additaments, such as fruit yoghurt, dyestuffs such as tartrazin E
102, chinoline yellow E 104, azo ruby E 122, etc. will be authorized in addition to
generally authorized additaments;
- Possibility to preserve beverages such as soft drinks, lemonade, ice tea, etc. by means
of sorbin acids or benzo acids.
6. Objective and rationale: [  X ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [     ] protect territory from
other damage from pests           
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:           G/SPS/N/CHE/25
Page 2
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:
- Ordinance on Additives Authorized for Foodstuffs (German/French/Italian: RS 
817.021.22)
http://www.bk.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/c817_021_22.html
- Food Law of 9 October 1992 (Ger man/French/Italian: RS 817.0)
http://www.bk.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/c817_0.html
- Food Ordinance of 1 March 1995 (G erman/French/Italian: RS 817.02)
http://www.bk.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/c817_02.html
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined.
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  1 October 2001
11. Final date for comments:  6 August 2001
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [  X ] National notification
authority, [    ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:           
12. Texts available from: [     ] National notification authority, [  X ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:           