WORLD TRADE G/SPS/N/CAN/29
16September 1997
ORGANIZATION
(97-3659)
Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
NOTIFICATION
1. Member toAgreement notifying: CANADA
Ifapplicable, name oflocal government involved:
2. Agency responsible: Health Canada
3. Products covered (tariff item number(s) asspecified innational schedules deposited with
theWTO. ICSnumbers may beprovided inaddition, where applicable): Maximum
residue limits foragricultural chemicals
4. Title andnumber ofpages ofthenotified document: Proposed Amendment totheFood
andDrug Regulations (1000) (pages 2692-2694)
5. Description ofcontent: Toensure public health andsafety, Health Canada (HC)
establishes maximum residue limits (MRLs) foragricultural chemicals present infoods
based onscientifically developed acceptable daily intakes (ADIs). HCbases itssafety
assessment ofpesticide residues infoodonthecritical review ofallscientific data
available, calculating thetheoretical daily intake ofaresidue andcomparing thistothe
ADIasdetermined byextensive testresults andtheapplication ofanappropriate safety
factor.
Asageneral rule,MRLs areestablished forrawagricultural products. HChashada
longstanding policy ofapplying MRLs forrawagricultural products toprocessed foods
made from those products. Thesafety assessments conducted byHCtakeintoaccount
theapplication ofMRLs toprocessed foods. Thispolicy isconsistent withthatadopted
bycountries suchastheUnited States andAustralia, aswellastheJoint Food and
Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) Food Standards
Programme oftheCodex Alimentarius Commission. MRLs areonlyestablished for
processed foodonacase-by-case basis asconsidered necessary toprotect public health.
Toensure clarity andconsistency intheapplication ofMRLs, itisproposed toamend
theRegulations tostatethattheMRL forprocessed foods isthesame astheraw
agricultural product from which thefoodismanufactured orderived.
6. Objective andrationale: Protection ofhuman health andsafety
./.G/SPS/N/CAN/29
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7. Aninternational standard, guideline orrecommendation does notexist [].
Ifaninternational standard, guideline orrecommendation exists, whenever possible,
identify deviations: Inlinewithinternational recommendations
8. Relevant documents andlanguage(s) inwhich these areavailable: Canada Gazette, PartI,
6September 1997
9. Proposed date ofadoption: Notstated
10. Proposed date ofentry intoforce: Notstated
11. Final date forcomments: 20November 1997
Agency orauthority designated tohandle comments: National Enquiry Point
12. Texts available from: National enquiry point [X]oraddress, telefax number andE-mail
address (ifavailable) ofother body: