WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/CHN/29
24 October 2003
(03-5646)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Health & National Committee on Standard Management
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where
applicable):  ICS 67.120
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:   All
countries and regions
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Maximum Levels of
Mercury in Foods (available in Chinese, 3 pages)
6. Description of content:  The standard stipulates tolerance limit levels of mercury (total
mercury and methyl mercury) in foods.  The applications are as follows:  for total mercury:
grains, tubers, vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs and milk;  for methyl mercury:  fish andaquatic products.
7. 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
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] Office International des Epizooties,
[   ] International Plant Prot ection Convention, [   ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  The standard differs from the Codex standard
in respect to the tolerance limit level for total mercury.
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:
10. Proposed date of adoption:   To be determined
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   6 months after adoption
12. Final date for comments:  Sixty days after circulation by the Secretariat.
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority,  [ X ] National enquiry point,
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: