. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/NZL/11
10 December 2002
(02-6809)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   NEW ZEALAND
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Food Standards Australia New Zealand
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:           
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, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Food and Processed
Foods
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Proposal P154 -
Regulatory Requirements for Foods Comprising  or Containing Royal Jelly, Bee Pollen and
Propolis, Including the Need for Label Warning Statements
6. Description of content:   The New Zealand Food Standard 2001 prescribes warning
statements in upper case for products (foods and dietary supplements) containing royal jelly,
bee pollen or propolis.
The First Review of Proposal P154 seeks to continue to provide mandatory labelling
requirements for foods comprising or containing royal jelly, bee pollen and propolis in the
Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
New Zealand previously notified P154, however  after being directed to conduct a First
Review, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) recommends the adoption of anamended draft variation to Standard 1.2.3, on the basis of a review of recent and
comprehensive risk assessments of royal jelly, bee pollen and propolis.
Royal jelly when presented as a food and foods containing royal jelly would continue to
bear the warning statement “ This product contains royal jelly which has been reported tocause severe allergic reactions and in rare cases, fatalities, especially in asthma and allergy
sufferers”.
However, the required labelling statement for foods containing propolis or bee pollen has
been relaxed to an advisory statement to the effect that ‘the product contains propolis or beepollen which can cause severe allergic reactions’.G/TBT/N/NZL/11
Page 2
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Warning statements are required on the labels of foods that are considered to pose a high
risk to public health and safety i.e. where the risk is life threatening. Also, warning
statements in relation to unpackaged foods must be displayed on or in connection with the
display of the food.
Products of lower risk may be required to bear a mandatory advisory statement on the label.
Unlike royal jelly, where fatalities have been recorded, the evidence suggests that bee pollen
and propolis constitute a lower risk, and thus a requirement for a mandatory advisory
statement is proposed.
The recent review of the risk to public health from consumption of foods containing royal
jelly, bee pollen and propolis justifies the continuation of mandatory labelling requirements.
8. Relevant documents:   Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code
9. Proposed date of adoption:  Recommendation to Government anticipated to be made by
early 2003.  Entry into force dependent on Government approval.
Proposed date of entry into force:  Recommendation to Government anticipated to be
made by late 2002.  Entry into force dependent on Government approval.
10. Final date for comments:   12 December 2002
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:           