1. 1 Asian seminar for on safe and high quality food New Delhi, 4 – 5 April 2002 Tom Heilandt Agricultural Standards Unit, UNECE Trade Division Overview of commercial quality standards for agricultural produce

2. 2 Outline The need for harmonization: History, goals and role of commercial quality standards. Aspects of quality UNECE Agricultural Standards A forum for the development of standards Application of standards The future of quality standards Questions, discussion

3. 3 Situation in the ECE region in 1949 Countries use national quality standards to regulate trade within their borders Producers market Growing interest in international trade Existing national regulations become barriers to international trade

4. 4 Harmonization of national standards 1949 The Working Party on Standardization of Perishable Produce and Quality Development takes up its work at UNECE in Geneva 1954 The Geneva Protocol and Standard Layout are adopted

5. 5 Why UNECE Standards? To facilitate fair international trade To encourage high quality production To improve producers’ profitability To protect consumers’ interests

6. 6 Role of UNECE standards To define a common international trading language To fill the gap between food safety regulations and marketing To define commercial quality for foodstuffs

7. 7 ESSENTIAL QUALITY Environmental aspects of production Food safety (human, animal and plant health) Nutritional value

8. 8 COMMERCIAL QUALITY Internal Taste Maturity… External Cleanliness Color Freshness Shape Presentation Packing…

9. 9 Commercial quality Commercial quality is a set of parameters describing internal and external characteristics of the produce, which are necessary to ensure transparency in trade. Commercial quality lies between essential qualities like food safety or nutrition and marketing claims

10. 10 UNECE Standard Layout Definition of produce Minimum requirements Maturity requirements Classification (Extra, class I, class II) Sizing provisions Tolerances (quality, size) Presentation (uniformity, packaging) Marking Annexes: Definitions, Lists of varieties, Testing and Sampling procedures, Definitions

11. 11 UNECE Agricultural Standards Fresh fruit and vegetables (46) Eggs and egg products (5) Dry and dried Fruit (17) Potatoes (3) Meat (3) Cut flowers (8)

12. 12 Principles for the Development of the Standards Encourage all relevant parties (buyers, sellers, retailers, producers, consumers etc.) to participate Define commercial quality in a way that is acceptable to all participants Avoid building technical barriers to trade Encourage widespread use of the standards

13. 13 Working procedures for the UNECE meetings All UN and UNECE member countries can participate with the same rights International organisations give input and use the standards International producer, retailer, import/export or consumer organisations are welcome to cooperate and give advice Decisions are taken on a consensus basis

14. 14 Organizational Structure Working Party on Standardisation of Perishable Produce and Quality Development Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Dry and Dried Fruit Early and Ware Potatoes Seed Potatoes Meat Specialized Section on Standardization of Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development ECOSOC Economic Commission for Europe

15. 15 Participation (1999/2000) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, European Community

16. 16 UNECE Standard European Commission Codex Alimentarius Commission Regulation Codex Standard Explanatory Brochure OECD Scheme Application of UNECE Standards Government National Standard

17. 17 ESCWA - Beirut ECA - Addis-Abeba ESCAP - Bangkok ECLAC - Santiago ECE - Geneva Promoting application of standards through cooperation of the Regional Commissions

18. 18 The situation 2002 Consumers market - Consumers preoccupied with quality and safety Complex international supply chains Big retailers operate globally Many more countries enter the international markets Trade creates their own strict standards

19. 19 The future of quality standards Private and public standard setting bodies work together, complementing each other Definition of parameters and values for internal quality of produce Codify standards to be used in electronic commerce Develop training packages to assist countries in the implementation of standards

20. 20 Example: Bovine Coding (01) 91234567890121 - Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) (3102) 000376 - Net Weight, kilograms (7002) 15111110205142111- UN/ECE Meat Carcasses and Cuts Code (13) 001231- Slaughter/Packaging Date (10) 123ABC- Batch Number

21. 21 UN/ECE standards and meeting information on the internet Http://www.unece.org/trade/agr/welcome.htm