Distribution date: 07 November 2017 | Final date for Comment: 06 January 2018

The notified draft Decree on the safety and quality of honey and apicultural products available on the market will provide Morocco with a regulatory text defining different types of honey and apicultural products and their physico-chemical characteristics. It has the following objectives: - To enable ONSSA control services to ensure the conformity of marketed or imported products; - To further motivate operators to produce high-quality honey and apicultural products and to create sector competitiveness to the benefit of consumers wanting these types of products; - To provide inspectors with a control tool enabling them to fulfil their task on the basis of national regulatory arguments. This regulatory tool will serve as a filter at border inspection points during the importation of honey and apicultural products; - To ensure consumers are informed of the origin of honey and apicultural products, whether locally produced or imported. Consumers are thus better informed to make better choices with regard to products on the market.

Products Covered: Miel

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 03 November 2017 | Final date for Comment: 02 January 2018

These measures are formulated to standardize the formulation, revision and release, as well as strengthen the implementation and supervision of drug standards. These measures consist of ten parts in accordance with the standard management workflow,  i.e. general principles, programming, formulation and revision, approval and promulgation, implementation, review, information management and disclosure, supervision, local drug standards and supplementary rules . 

Products Covered: Drugs HS:30 - ICS: 11.120.10

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 01 November 2017 | Final date for Comment: 15 December 2017

Health Canada's Food Directorate completed a detailed safety assessment of a food additive submission seeking approval for the use of (1) asparaginase from Aspergillus niger (A. niger) ASP72 and citric acid in the manufacture of blackstrap molasses, and (2) asparaginase from A. niger ASP72 to treat green coffee.  Asparaginase from A. niger ASP72 is already permitted for use as a food enzyme in various foods, and asparaginase from two other source organisms is already permitted for use to treat green coffee. Asparaginase has not previously been permitted for use in blackstrap molasses. Citric acid has numerous permitted food additive uses, but it has not previously been authorized for use in blackstrap molasses or any other standardized type of molasses. As no safety concerns were raised through Health Canada's assessment, the Department has enabled the requested uses of the food additives asparaginase from A. niger ASP72 and citric acid described in the information document below by updating the List of Permitted Food Enzymes (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/food-additives/lists-permitted/5-enzymes.html)  and the List of Permitted pH Adjusting Agents, Acid-Reacting Materials and Water Correcting Agents (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/food-additives/lists-permitted/10-adjusting-agents.html), effective 2 October 2017. The purpose of this communication is to publically announce the Department's decision in this regard and to provide the appropriate contact information for any inquiries or for those wishing to submit any new scientific information relevant to the safety of these food additives.

Products Covered: Citric acid and asparaginase (ICS Code: 67.220.20)

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 31 October 2017 | Final date for Comment: 24 November 2017

The Minimum Requirements for Biological Products shall be partially amended to revise the standard for the “Recombinant Adsorbed Hepatitis B Vaccine (prepared from yeast)”.

Products Covered: Pharmaceutical Products (HS: 30)

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 19 October 2017 | Final date for Comment: 17 December 2017

This compulsory specification requires that aquacultured live and chilled raw bivalves molluscs for human consumption which are offered for sale, complies with the chemical, marine biotoxins and microbiological requirements for disease-causing organisms outlined in the referenced SANS 2879, read together with the shellfish monitoring programme and relevant technical regulations.

Products Covered: Aquacultured live and chilled raw bivalves molluscs (oysters, mussels etc.)

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 18 October 2017

The notified Law sets out the penalties and sanctions for the deception or attempted deception of the contracting party, either with regard to the nature of the goods or the species involved in a trade operation.

Products Covered: Denrées alimentaires, substances médicamenteuses, boissons et produits agricoles ou naturels

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 18 October 2017

All pesticides must receive approval or provisional sale authorization prior to their importation into Côte d'Ivoire.

Products Covered: Toute sorte de pesticides

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 16 October 2017

Products Covered: Alcoholic beverages (Heading 22; International Classification for Standards (ICS) code 67.160.10) ;

Regulation Type: Addendum to Regular Notification

Distribution date: 12 October 2017 | Final date for Comment: 11 November 2017

Deregulating the requirement for the components of "By-product liquid(fluid) nitrogen fertilizer".

Products Covered: Fertilizer (HS: 3102, 3105)

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 11 October 2017 | Final date for Comment: 10 December 2017

This compulsory specification requires that aquacultured live and chilled raw bivalves molluscs, for human consumption, which are to be offered for sale,comply with this compulsory specification and the requirements of the South African National Standard (SANS) 2879 that applies to the harvesting, handling, preparation, processing, packing, transportation, storage, chilling, quality of the products covered by this specification, the hygiene requirements for the product, as well as chemical contaminants, microbiological contaminants, and marine biotoxins requirements of the product and the packing facility employees requirements, shall comply with the requirements of the latest edition of SANS 2879.

Products Covered: Molluscs, fit for human consumption, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine, incl. aquatic invertebrates (other than crustaceans and molluscs); flours, meals and pellets of aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans, fit for human consumption (HS code(s): 0307); Food microbiology (ICS code(s): 07.100.30); Fish and fishery products (ICS code(s): 67.120.30)

Regulation Type: Regular notification