. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/ARG/125
11 August 2003
(03-4165)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  Spanish
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   ARGENTINA
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   MERCOSUR Common Market Group – Technical Subgroup No. 3
"Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment"
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :  idem  National
enquiry point.
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X ], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwis e national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Food products
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Draft MERCOSUR
Technical Regulation on Nutrition Labelling for Packaged Foods (26 pages, in Spanish /
Portuguese).
6. Description of content:   Declaration of energy value and nutrients:  the declaration of
information on the quantitative energy value and quantitative content of the followingnutrients is mandatory:  carbohydrates, proteins, fats, saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, dietary
fibre, sodium, and others included under supplementary nutrition information.  Vitamins
and minerals may also be specified.  The declaration of other nutrients is optional.
Calculation of energy value and nutrients:  amount of energy value, calculation of
protein, calculation of carbohydrates.
Presentation of nutrition labelling:  position and characteristics of the information,
units of measurement to be used in nutrition labelling, expression of numerical values, rulesgoverning nutrition information.
Supplementary nutrition information:  the use of supplementary nutrition
information on food labels is optional and should only be given in addition to, and not in
place of, the nutrient declaration.
This Technical Regulation concerns the nutrition labelling of food produced and
marketed in the territory of or traded betw een MERCOSUR States parties and imports from
outside MERCOSUR, packaged in the absence of the client and ready to be offered for sale
to the consumer.G/TBT/N/ARG/125
Page 2
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:     
Provide consumers with information on the nutritional properties of food, thereby
encouraging the appropriate consumption ther eof and promote the free movement of food
products by means of a clear definition of nutrition labelling.
8. Relevant documents:  MERCOSUR / XV Technical Subgroup (SGT) No.  3 / Draft
Resolution No.  03/03.
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }Not indicated.
10. Final date for comments:  25 September 2003
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X ] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:
Focal Point of the Argentine Republic
Avda. J.A. Roca 651, 4th floor, Sector 2
(C1067ABB) Buenos Aires
Tel.:  (54 11) 4349-4067
Fax:  (54 11) 4349-4072
E-mail:  mercsgt3@mecon.gov.ar
Web site:  http://www.puntofocal.gov.ar/mercosur sgt_asp