WORLD TRADE G/TBT/Notif.97.383
6August 1997
ORGANIZATION
(97-3332)
Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
NOTIFICATION
Thefollowing notification isbeing circulated inaccordance withArticle 10.6.
1. Member toAgreement notifying: NORWAY
Ifapplicable, name oflocalgovernment involved (Articles 3.2and7.2):
2. Agency responsible: Ministry ofHealth andSocial Affairs/Norwegian Food Control
Authority
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): Prepacked foodstuffs and
ingredients except foodadditives, flavourings andextraction solvents.
5. Title, number ofpages andlanguage(s) ofthenotified document: Temporary Guidelines
dated 4July 1997 Concerning Labelling ofGenetically Modified Foodstuffs and
Foodstuff Ingredients (2pages)
6. Description ofcontent: Theguidelines contain anddescribe labelling requirements
concerning genetically modified prepacked foodstuffs andingredients except food
additives, flavourings andextraction solvents. Based ontheprinciple thatthelabelling
should notbemisleading totheconsumer labelling requirements willnowbeintroduced
stating thatthelabelling offoodstuffs must include anindication (ex."genetically
modified") expressing thatthefoodstuff ortheingredient used inthefoodstuffs is
produced byusing genetically modified organisms. Ifnosuchanindication isplaced on
thepackage oftheproducts thiswillbeconsidered asmisleading totheconsumer.
Theproduct oreachingredient oftheproduct maycontain upto2percentof
genetically modified material without needing tobelabelled.
7. Objective andrationale: Toensure theconsumer information bylabelling requirements,
thatgenetically modified organisms have been used in/during theproduction ofthe
foodstuffs oringredient.
./.G/TBT/Notif.97.383
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8. Relevant documents: Norwegian Regulation dated 21December 1993 No.1385
concerning labelling offoodstuffs (§5first section) implementing Council
Directive 79/112/EEC onthelabelling offoodstuffs (ref.Article 2)
9. Proposed dateofadoption:
Proposed dateofentry intoforce:4October 1997
(Theguidelines arenotanewformal regulation, butareonlyadescription ofthe
principles which willbelaiddown concerning thepractising ofexisting labelling
requirements relating togenetically modified foodstuffs andingredients. Theguidelines
arebased ontheprinciple thatthelabelling onfoodstuffs should notbemisleading tothe
consumer. Theprinciple isalready setdown intheexisting Norwegian regulation on
thelabelling offoodstuffs andisthesame principle asappears inArticle 2of
Commission Directive 79/112/EEC.)
10. Final dateforcomments: 15September 1997
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point []oraddress andtelefax number ofother
body: Norwegian Food Control Authority, Fax: +22246699