13 Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Application of General Principles. . .
163
of total coliforms as an indicator for fecal contamination (Annex I and II), insertion
of a definition for clean water (section on “FAO/WHO Proposed Guidelines to
the Control of Viruses in Food” and Annex II) that differs from the clean water
definition used in Annex I, insertion of an example of effective conditions of HHP
for virus inactivation (section on “Control of Operation”), omission of gamma
irradiation as a specific process step to inactivate viruses (section on “Control
of Operation”), inclusion of the use of chlorine dioxide 200 ppm for surface
disinfection (section on “Establishment: Maintenance and Sanitation”); redefining
duration of NoV shedding and deletion of the example of the period without
symptoms that food handlers should stay away from food handling (section on
“Establishment: Personal Hygiene”), and finally inclusion of a description of factors
that should be addressed in the sanitary survey of harvesting and/or growing
water (Annex I). In addition to these changes, editorial amendments have been
made, especially in Annex I. In December 2011, the CCFH meeting agreed on the
revised document, which was subsequently submitted for adoption by the Codex
Alimentarius Commission.
In July 2012, the document with editorial amendments was adopted by the Codex
Alimentarius Commission and registered as CAC/GL 79–2012 (Anon. 2012). As
the present paper was based on the proposed guidelines, the CAC/GL 79–2012
document should be the official document to use.
Acknowledgements I would like to thank all members of the Dutch Drafting Group, the
Electronic Working Group (2011), the Physical Working Groups (2009–2010) and the WHO/FAO
Expert Meeting (2008) for the expertise and efforts they have put in the development of these
guidelines.
References
Anon. (1992) Council Decision of 11th December 1992 approving certain heat treatments to
inhibit the development of pathogenic micro-organisms in bivalve molluscs and marine
gastropods (93/25/EEC). Off J Eur Commun 16:22–23. Available from: http://eur-lex.europa.
eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31993D0025:en:NOT. Accessed 14 Nov 2012
Anon. EFSA [European Food Safety Authority] (2011a). Scientific Opinion on an update on the
present knowledge on the occurrence and control of foodborne viruses. EFSA J 9:2190, 96pp.
doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2011.2190. Available from: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/
2190.pdf. Accessed 14 Nov 2012
Anon. FAO/WHO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health
Organization] (2008) Viruses in food: scientific advice to support risk management activities:
meeting report. Microbiological risk assessment series no. 13. Available from: http://www.who.
int/foodsafety/publications/micro/mra13/en/index.html. Accessed 14 Nov 2012
Anon. FAO/WHO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health
Organization] (2011b) Proposed draft guidelines on the application of the general principles on
food hygiene to the control of viruses in food. Retrieved from: ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/Meetings/
CCFH/ccfh43/fh43 04e.pdf. Accessed 14 Nov 2012
Anon. FAO/WHO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health
Organization] (2012) Guidelines on the application of general principles of food hygiene to
the control of viruses in food (CAC/GL 79-2012)
163
of total coliforms as an indicator for fecal contamination (Annex I and II), insertion
of a definition for clean water (section on “FAO/WHO Proposed Guidelines to
the Control of Viruses in Food” and Annex II) that differs from the clean water
definition used in Annex I, insertion of an example of effective conditions of HHP
for virus inactivation (section on “Control of Operation”), omission of gamma
irradiation as a specific process step to inactivate viruses (section on “Control
of Operation”), inclusion of the use of chlorine dioxide 200 ppm for surface
disinfection (section on “Establishment: Maintenance and Sanitation”); redefining
duration of NoV shedding and deletion of the example of the period without
symptoms that food handlers should stay away from food handling (section on
“Establishment: Personal Hygiene”), and finally inclusion of a description of factors
that should be addressed in the sanitary survey of harvesting and/or growing
water (Annex I). In addition to these changes, editorial amendments have been
made, especially in Annex I. In December 2011, the CCFH meeting agreed on the
revised document, which was subsequently submitted for adoption by the Codex
Alimentarius Commission.
In July 2012, the document with editorial amendments was adopted by the Codex
Alimentarius Commission and registered as CAC/GL 79–2012 (Anon. 2012). As
the present paper was based on the proposed guidelines, the CAC/GL 79–2012
document should be the official document to use.
Acknowledgements I would like to thank all members of the Dutch Drafting Group, the
Electronic Working Group (2011), the Physical Working Groups (2009–2010) and the WHO/FAO
Expert Meeting (2008) for the expertise and efforts they have put in the development of these
guidelines.
References
Anon. (1992) Council Decision of 11th December 1992 approving certain heat treatments to
inhibit the development of pathogenic micro-organisms in bivalve molluscs and marine
gastropods (93/25/EEC). Off J Eur Commun 16:22–23. Available from: http://eur-lex.europa.
eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31993D0025:en:NOT. Accessed 14 Nov 2012
Anon. EFSA [European Food Safety Authority] (2011a). Scientific Opinion on an update on the
present knowledge on the occurrence and control of foodborne viruses. EFSA J 9:2190, 96pp.
doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2011.2190. Available from: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/
2190.pdf. Accessed 14 Nov 2012
Anon. FAO/WHO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health
Organization] (2008) Viruses in food: scientific advice to support risk management activities:
meeting report. Microbiological risk assessment series no. 13. Available from: http://www.who.
int/foodsafety/publications/micro/mra13/en/index.html. Accessed 14 Nov 2012
Anon. FAO/WHO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health
Organization] (2011b) Proposed draft guidelines on the application of the general principles on
food hygiene to the control of viruses in food. Retrieved from: ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/Meetings/
CCFH/ccfh43/fh43 04e.pdf. Accessed 14 Nov 2012
Anon. FAO/WHO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health
Organization] (2012) Guidelines on the application of general principles of food hygiene to
the control of viruses in food (CAC/GL 79-2012)