WORLD TRADE G/TBT/Notif.96.109
24April 1996
ORGANIZATION
(96-1543)
Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
NOTIFICATION
Thefollowing notification isbeing circulated inaccordance withArticle 10.6.
1. Member toAgreement notifying: CANADA
Ifapplicable, name oflocalgovernment involved (Articles 3.2and7.2):
2. Agency responsible: Health Canada
Agency orauthority designated tohandle comments regarding thenotification canbe
indicated ifdifferent from above:
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X],2.10.1 [],5.6.2 [],5.7.1 [],other:
4. Products covered (HSorCCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICSnumbers maybeprovided inaddition, where applicable): Cocoa andchocolate
products
5. Title, number ofpages andlanguage(s) ofthenotified document: Proposed Amendment
totheFood andDrug Regulations (Schedule No.719), (pages 976-986)
6. Description ofcontent: Note: Item (d)below hasbeen notified under the
SPSAgreement.
Division 4oftheFood andDrugs Regulations includes anumber ofstandards of
identity andcomposition foravariety ofcocoa andchocolate products. Since the
promulgation ofthecurrent standards, theindustry hasundergone evolutionary changes
inthedomestic andinternational market-places. Amendments totheRegulations are,
therefore, proposed, which willreflect current industry practices andprovide flexibility
totheindustry withrespect tothedevelopment ofnewproducts.
Theproposed amendments would:
(a)revise thestandards forcocoa butter, cocoa nibsandchocolate, toenhance
quality parameters;
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6. Description ofcontent (cont'd):
(b)establish newcompositional standards forwhite chocolate, andbitter-sweet
chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate anddarkchocolate, thereby providing an
enhanced level ofassurance regarding thecomposition andconsistency of
suchproducts;
(c)modify thefollowing standards tomore clearly distinguish differences in
product composition;
-cocoa liquor, cocoa mass, unsweetened chocolate, bitter chocolate, and
chocolate liquor,
-sweet chocolate,
-milkchocolate,
-cocoa andcocoa powder, and
-low-fat cocoa powder;
(d)enhance theopportunity forinnovation andprovide greater flexibility to
manufacturers bypermitting theaddition ofabroader range ofmilk and
sweetening ingredients tococoa andchocolate products; andbypermitting
theuseofadditional pH-adjusting agents incocoa products, and
emulsifying agents inchocolate products.
With respect tothepH-adjusting agents andemulsifying agents, these food
additives arecurrently approved foruseinawidevariety ofproducts, sothatthecurrent
proposal represents anextension ofuse. These proposed extensions ofusehave been
evaluated from thestandpoint ofhealth andsafety andareconsidered acceptable.
7. Objective andrationale: Prevention ofdeceptive practices
8. Relevant documents: Canada Gazette, PartI,30March 1996
9. Proposed dateofadoption: Notstated
Proposed dateofentry intoforce:
10. Final dateforcomments: 14June1996
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [X]oraddress andtelefax number ofother
body: