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ISO Focus is published 11 times
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Comment Prof. Andras Salg, Chair ISO/TC 34, Food products The fruit of cooperation : better, safer food World Scene
Highlights of events from around the world
ISO Scene
Highlights of news and developments from ISO members
Guest View
Dr. Werner Bauer, Executive Vice President, Technical, Production, Environment, Research and Development, Nestl
Main Focus
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ISSN 1729-8709 Printed in Switzerland Cover photo : PRISMA-Dia Agentur. Oil on canvas by Erik Slutsky, 2000
ISO Focus September 2004
Comment
n recent years, multiple alimentary problems concerning human health (mad cow disease, Salmonella poisoning), the threat of starvation in certain areas, the worries connected with junk food and obesity, and the moral challenges involved in Genetically Modified Organisms, have contributed to bringing the issue of food safety into the limelight.
ISO/TC 34, Food products, with its 13 subcommittees, has been working towards the goal of improving food quality and safety for several decades, and its portfolio of standards, adopted by many industries worldwide, has proved most useful in setting test methods, defining product specifications and providing the technical standards to ensure that food products conform to acceptable levels for human and animal health. Furthermore, in addition to the interest generated in the new horizontal standard now under development, ISO 22000, Food safety management systems, the work of the committee is expanding to tackle issues such traceability and detecting the use of GMOs. In todays global market, to obtain optimal efficiency, it has become imperative to work not in isolation but in cooperation with the international agencies involved in this area. There is nothing new in this : ISO has had a long and harmonious relationship with Codex Alimentarius, a joint Food Standards Programme of the FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organization) and WHO, aimed at protecting the health of consumers, ensuring fair trade practices in the food trade, and promoting coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and nongovernmental organizations.
To obtain optimal efficiency, it has become imperative to work not in isolation but in cooperation with the international agencies involved
in the framework of good regulatory practice, as promoted at international and regional levels, International Standards and Guides are often considered most useful by regulators as effective and efficient tools to achieve important regulatory mandates, manage risk and address market failure. Using International Standards may help a regulator to achieve aims in public health and safety at less cost to manufacturers, consumers and the taxpayer. Using International Standards also assists countries to meet their WTO, TBT and SPS Agreement obligations. It had became clear that it would be useful to reinforce not only the harmonization of work between ISO and Codex Alimentarius and to deepen the collaboration but, more specifically, to inform Codex Alimentarius members about ISO activities and to spread the word of what ISO had done, was doing and was planning to do in the food product area. Thus it was particularly appreciated that, at the recent Codex Alimentarius meeting in Geneva in June
2004, ISO was invited to address the delegates and give an overview of ISO/ TC 34 work, of ISOs activities and functions, including conformity assessment, that were of direct relevance to Codex members, and to look at where there could be synergies between the work of the two organizations. The questions afterwards suggested that this exchange had been a most fruitful and useful exercise, and laid the ground for yet deeper cooperation. We are at present examining in detail areas of cooperation that could be submitted to the Codex Alimentarius Commission to enhance the mutual coordination of work and elimination of any duplication of efforts. We are convinced that to reduce the number of food-borne illnesses and to avoid food scares, Codex Alimentarius and ISO need to cooperate yet more closely in support of each others work.
World Scene
WSIS agrees on roadmap to Tunis Summit
Some 425 representatives from government, international organizations, members of civil society and the private sector attended the first preparatory meeting of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in Hammamet, Tunisia, to discuss the roadmap for the Summits second phase in Tunis.
The focus of the preparatory process to the Tunis phase will be two-pronged : 1) provide solutions on how to implement and follow up the Geneva decisions (Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action) by stakeholders at national, regional and international levels with particular attention to challenges facing the least developed countries, and 2) complete the unfinished business in Geneva on Internet Governance and Financing. The role of International Standards in contributing to the development of a global Information Society was acknowledged at the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society held in Geneva, Switzerland, in December 2003. The second phase of the Summit, which takes place in Tunis, Tunisia, from 16 to 18 November 2005, will measure progress to the ambitious goals set in Geneva. Hard work now lies ahead before the meeting to show that development of the Information Society is on the right path. For more information: www.itu.int/wsis/
ISO Scene
ISOs high-level advisory group on security invites stakeholder input
ISOs high-level advisory group on security held its first meeting on 1 and 2 June 2004 in New York, USA, when it reviewed a draft inventory of relevant ISO activities and established a framework for classifying existing standards and ongoing work. The group agreed to conduct a stakeholder outreach programme to invite suggestions for additional standards that may be needed, as well as to carry out in-depth studies in the areas of the built environment, mass transportation, the oil and gas industry, and freight containers. Concerned ISO committees are being solicited over the next few months to assist with the classification of their standards and current projects. The group is expected to submit its final report in time for ISOs Technical Management Board (TMB) meeting in February 2005. Global Economy , and highlighted the growing use of ISO standards by public authorities to express requirements related to the assessment of compliance of products and equipment to regulations. He underlined the relevance of the CASCO toolbox , particularly its role in helping to ensure that conformity is assessed with methods and competence which may be appraised and accepted internationally. The seminar was organized by the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI) and Iranian Society for Quality (ISQ). Mr. Bryden also held meetings with Dr. Jahangiri, Irans Minister of Industries and Mines and Dr. Tofigh, Deputy Minister of Industries and Mines and President of ISIRI. He encouraged the public authorities and all other economic actors to increase their participation in international standardization which supported of their countrys economic competitiveness and social development. President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchna (2nd from right) and other Ukrainian officials met with ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden. Ukrainian products on the way to the WTO and the EU . He met the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, and addressed the strategic importance of International Standards as a tool for accelerating Ukraines social and economic development. President Kuchma highlighted the steady development of the Ukrainian economy as a result of the economic reforms, which have been implemented in the country recently, and stressed the importance of enhancing Ukraines cooperation with ISO that could contribute to expanding international trade and transferring advanced technologies and good management practices. Alan Bryden also met Nicolai Azarov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, and Borys Paton, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Mr. Bryden also held meetings with Leonid Shkolnyk, Head of DSSU (State Committee of Ukraine on Technical Regulation and Consumer Policy), ISO member for the country. Regarding plans to help developing countries, the ISO President said that ISO was carrying out specific actions and formulating further plans for assisting developing countries to increase awareness of International Standards and conformity assessment systems and to develop their standardization capacity, including by increased use of information and communication technologies.
Director-General of INORPI Saloua Ghedamsi (far right) with INORPIs Training Officer Ben Farhart (far left) and seminar instructors Frdric Paris and Raji Zouari. The benefits of implementing a quality management system in the automotive sector was the subject of a seminar organized by the ISO Programme for Development and Training in Tunis, Tunisia on 28-29 June 2004. Some 30 quality practitioners representing Tunisian suppliers of automotive components to the major car manufacturers in Europe, USA and Japan attended the two-day seminar on ISO/TS 16949:2002, which specifies quality system requirements for suppliers in this sector. The seminar was designed to train quality practitioners on the implementation of ISO/TS 16949:2002 which defines the quality management system requirements for the design and development, production and, when relevant, installation and service of automotive-related products. The seminar was hosted by INORPI, Institut national de la normalisation et de la proprit industrielle, ISO member for Tunisia. For more information contact : Virginia Gomez at gomez@iso.org
ISO Focus September 2004
Guest View
Werner Bauer
r. Werner Bauer is Executive Vice President, Technical, Production, Environment, Research and Development at Nestl. After completing his education in Chemical Engineering with a PhD from the University of ErlangenNrnberg, Mr. Werner Bauer began his career as a Professor at the Universities of Hamburg and Munich. Between 1986 and 1990 he was Head of the Frauenhofer-Institute for Food Technology. His interest in nutrition led him to accept the position of Head of the Nestl Research Centre in 1990, a position he held for 7 years. Mr. Bauer was then promoted to Head of Research and Development at Nestl Headquarters in Vevey. He moved to take over Technical Management of Nestl South Africa and subsequently the management of Nestl Southern and Eastern region. Since May 1, 2002 he has been in charge of Corporate Technical, Production, Environment and R&D. In this position and amongst his other responsibilities, he oversees the numerous factories and product development centres of the Nestl Group.
suggest and we make it easy for them by providing them with an address, a telephone number or a Web site on each of our products. ISO Focus : A number of Nestl employees provide expert advice to the work of ISO technical committees. How important is it for Nestl to contribute to the development of International Standards ? Werner Bauer : International Standards are important for a good and efficient business environment. When applied to entire fields of activity, they contribute very effectively to enhance fair competition and in many cases to raise the overall level of quality. On the other hand, such International Standards, if developed only by people outside the industry, might either impose too many restrictions on the companys ability to develop and expand and could, in some cases, impose excessive costs. We therefore believe that by providing expert advice to ISO technical committees and participating in the establishment of rules, the major companies, knowing best the prevailing conditions in their industry, render an important service both to ISO and to themselves. ISO Focus : To what extent does Nestl use an environmental management system based on ISO 14001 ? How do you think acting sustainably positively affects the bottom line of companies ? Werner Bauer : Nestl, having actively contributed to the establishment of ISO 14001, has been one of the first companies to implement a Group-wide environmental management system, based on the principles of ISO 14001, even before its official publication. Today, all our factories worldwide use the
There is not one Nescaf but 200 and this explains why very many consumers perceive Nestl as a trusted local supplier of high quality food and beverage products.
cultural and ethnic context, which a global marketer has to understand and respect. Nestl was founded by a German (Henri Nestl) in Switzerland, a small country, and expanding meant going abroad. This could only be done by relying on the experience and knowledge of local staff and by adapting the products to local tastes, traditions and ways of doing business. This is why there is not one Nescaf but 200 and this explains why very many consumers perceive Nestl as a trusted local supplier of high quality food and beverage products. Maintaining that trust also means listening to consumers : today we have some 80 consumer services worldwide, dealing with about 7 million spontaneous contacts per year. We encourage our consumers to comment, criticize and
ISO Focus : As todays largest food and beverage company in the world, Nestl produces a wide range of products from meals to chocolate, and from mineral water to coffee. How does Nestl manage to maintain a worldwide consumer base when traditions and tastes vary from one country to the next? What is the key ingredient to its success? Werner Bauer : There is no single ingredient to our success but many! The key is certainly our conviction that there is no such thing as a global consumer, but that consumers everywhere make their decisions in a given
Photo : A. Diglas
tally responsible company. This is and undoubtedly will be an asset for our company, our brands, our staff and our customers. ISO Focus : ISO is currently in the process of developing a Food safety management systems standard (ISO 22000) for all organizations, which produce, manufacture, handle or supply food. What benefit do you see here in terms of safety, communication and trade? Werner Bauer : We believe that ISO 22000 could contribute to reducing the number of individual, non-official food safety standards currently appearing on the market. Their variety and ever-increasing number is creating complexity and confusion in the food chain, thus raising costs without bringing consistent reliability. Certificates delivered on the basis of an internationally agreed standard would improve the relationship between suppliers and customers throughout the food chain. Customers could concentrate their efforts on their specific requirements which may not be covered by the standard, and suppliers would have better harmonized requirements to follow, which should limit and rationalize the number and
Nestl Environmental Management System (internally known as NEMS) to improve constantly on their environmental performance. External bodies have certified some 30 of our sites worldwide according to ISO 14001, but we also verify compliance with our NEMS through internal procedures. As all have been able to see the effect on our eco efficiency, this system has been embraced by employees at all levels. But we have gone further and have invested significantly way over what is legally required into environmental technologies. We are fully aware that such investments increase our costs compared to our competitors and we know that we might, therefore, lose some market share in the short term, especially in developing countries. But Nestl, a company almost 140 years old, has never been too keen on short term views and we are convinced that in the long run, our policy will enhance our reputation as a socially and environmen-
The Nestl Research Center near Lausanne, Switzerland, provides the basic knowledge in food science which is applied in the whole Nestl Group. The Nestl plant science unit in Tours, France, studies plant species such as coffee, cocoa and chicory.
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Guest View
scope of the assessments requested by their customers. If ISO 22000 fulfils our expectations, Nestl would integrate such a standard in its Supplier Management System. As part of our supplier and co-manufacturer requirements, it should simplify our relationship with them and it should allow us to reallocate some of the assessment and monitoring resources from the scope covered by ISO 22000 to more Nestl-specific expectations. All partners in the food chain could derive benefit from the implementation of ISO 22000, no matter the size or activity of the certified operation or which kind of product is considered. Therefore, we are actively collaborating with our partners to ensure that this standard is reliable and takes into account all common food safety requirements. We are especially keen to obtain an action-oriented tool without useless administrative or paperwork requirements. Moreover, it will be essential
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to prevent misleading communication about the certificates ; it is the food safety management system that will be certified by a third party and not the safety of the product.
Nestl, a company almost 140 years old, has never been too keen on short term views
ISO Focus : At a recently concluded ISO conference on social responsibility, Mr. Khaled Abu Osbeh, representative of the United Nations Global Compact, said that ISO can be a key force in helping to realize the Global Compact Offices hope that CSR initiatives will ultimately converge. What are your thoughts on the issue?
Werner Bauer : A clearer definition of some of the terms used in the Global Compact might well benefit the application of these principles and secure a broader following. But one should keep in mind that the Global Compact covers a very broad range of situations and that its practical application needs to take into account diverse starting points as well as social and economic differences and priorities. It is therefore vital to avoid simply designing rigid checklists that might well be irrelevant to some industries or regions, but that would allow self-appointed critics of corporations to launch their campaigns based on their own interpretation of some specific point. The Global Compact is a means for corporations to freely and publicly express their commitment to social responsibility. Turning it into an enforceable body of law, over and beyond national legislation and international conventions, raises entirely different issues.
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ailures in food supply can be dangerous and cost plenty. ISO 22000 for food safety management systems is intended to provide security by ensuring that there are no weak links in the food supply chain. ISO/22000, Food safety management systems Requirements throughout the food chain, is currently at the stage of Draft International Standard (DIS). It is expected to be available as an International Standard in 2005. The standard can be applied on its own, or in combination with other management system standards
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such as ISO 9001:2000, with or without independent (third party) certification of conformity.
Main Focus
requirements agreed with the customer and those of applicable food safety regulations, and aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective control of food safety hazards, including processes for updating the system.
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Crop producers
Feed producers
Food processors
2 nd food processors
Consumer
Communication with customers and suppliers, based on the information generated through systematic hazard analysis, will also assist in substantiating customer and supplier requirements with regard to their feasibility, need, and impact on the end product. The standard will require that such communication is planned and maintained. System management The most effective food safety systems are designed, operated and updated within the framework of a structured management system and incorporated into the overall management activities of the organization. This provides maximum benefit for the organization and interested parties. ISO 22000 will take due consideration of the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 in order to enhance compatibility of the two standards and to allow their joint or integrated implementation. Hazard control Effective systems that are capable of controlling food safety hazards to acceptable levels in end products that are delivered to the next link in the food chain require the balanced integration of prerequisite programmes 1) and a detailed HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) plan. ISO 22000 will dynamically combine the HACCP principles and application steps with prerequisite programmes, using the hazard analysis to determine the strategy to be used to ensure hazard control by combining the prerequisite programmes and the HACCP plan.
ISO 22000 may apply to all types of organizations within the food chain.
The standard will further clarify the concept of prerequisite programmes. These are divided into two subcategories: infrastructure and maintenance programmes and operational prerequisite programmes. Infrastructure and maintenance programmes are used to address basic requirements of food hygiene and accepted good practice of a more permanent nature, whereas operational prerequisite programmes are used to
control or reduce the impact of identified food safety hazards in the product or the processing environment. The HACCP plan is used to manage the critical control points determined to eliminate, prevent or reduce specified food safety hazards from the product, as determined during hazard analysis.
1) A prerequiste programme is a specified procedure(s) or instruction(s), specific to the nature and size of the operation, that enhances and/or maintains operational conditions to enable more effective control of food safety hazards and/or that controls the likelihood of introducing food safety hazards and their contamination of or proliferation in the product(s) and product processing environment.
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better planning, less post-process verification ; more efficient and dynamic food safety hazard control ; all control measures subjected to hazard analysis ; systematic management of prerequisite programmes ; widely applicable because it is focused on end results ; valid basis for taking decisions ; increased due diligence ; control focused on what is necessary ; and saves resources by reducing overlapping system audits. fills a gap between ISO 9001:2000 and HACCP ; contributes to a better understanding and further development of Codex HACCP ; auditable standard requirements ; with clear
system approach, rather than product approach ; and suitable for regulators.
The most effective food safety systems are designed, operated and updated within the framework of a structured management system.
Furthermore, the standard adds value because of the following features : international ; provides potential for harmonization of national standards ; food processors are waiting for this standard ; provides a reference for the whole food chain ; provides a framework for third party certification;
he significant increase in the attention being paid to the concept of traceability and its introduction into the real world of chemical, microbiological or of any other measurements has been one of the most remarkable features of recent years. The concept of traceability, starting in physical measurements, has been found useful for many years, but its exact meaning has been open to varying interpretations. In chemical, microbiological and related measurements, however, the concept has only been partially applied. The usual thinking is that
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One other meaning and aim of traceability (or, to put it in other words), product tracing, is to define, to put in a system, to increase, and to document food safety. Traceability is a useful tool but insufficient in itself to achieve food safety and other defined objectives in a management system. It is the ability to trace the history, application or location of whatever is under consideration.
problems) have highlighted and confirmed that a lack of traceability measures and/or traceability systems can have very negative effects on food/ feed safety. Traceability systems would be able to recreate the history of a product and to trace the destination in a food/feed chain, and would help in the search in identifying the causes of nonconformities, in the withdrawal or recall of products, and in achieving greater reliability of information and thereby contributing to a higher level of business efficiency.
Traceability is the ability to trace the history, application or location of whatever is under consideration.
quantitative chemical, microbiological, and suchlike measurements (in analogy with physical measurements) should be made traceable to the SI (Systme international dunits) unit of the amount of substance, whereas the entity measured can be identified, for instance, by chemical formulae, which automatically means measurements of the amount of substance, the relevant basic quantity in our international measurement system. Clearly, the idea of traceability is not sufficiently widespread in the field of chemical, microbiological, biological and suchlike measurements. To support the current need for global measurement comparability, a clear and generally accepted concept of traceability and the infrastructure to support such a concept are still missing.
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A clear ISO role
These trends and new regulations encouraged ISO/TC 34 to establish the WG 9 (under Italian leadership) in June 2001 with a view to elaborating a new work item proposal entitled Traceability in feed and food chain General principles and guidance for system design and development. The elements of a system concept in food and feed chain traceability are the following : Identification the specific objectives to be achieved (safety, quality, history, origin, recall, parties, communication) ; Definition of product(s) ingredient(s) to be traced ; Relevant steps in food chain ; Procedures ; Documentation.
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and
has reached the Committee Draft stage (ISO/CD 22519) and it is being circulated for voting. This standard provides principles and guidance to establish a traceability system ; it is generic and therefore not related to specific needs. ISO/CD 22519 is intended to be flexible enough to allow organizations to use it to achieve the specific identified objectives. In the course of the development of the Committee Draft, working group 9 has been taking into consideration the progress of the Traceability/ Product tracing project underway in the Codex Alimentarius Commission (under Swiss leadership), and the ISO standard now being developed is harmonized with the Codex documents. It is expected that the ISO standard will be finished by the end of 2005 and will be published in spring 2006.
Traceability can become a two-way exchange, enabling the feedback of information from retailers and consumers that could help the food trade and farmers gain commercial advantage.
The proposal, the future ISO 22519, that has ISO 9001:2000 and ISO/DIS 22000:2004 as its normative references, and is adopting the definitions used in ISO/DIS 22000,
The experience is interesting because it points to the possibility of viewing the traceability system not merely as a means to facilitate recalls nor purely as a system imposed by legislation. Rather, traceability can become a two-way exchange, enabling the feedback of information from retailers and consumers that could help the food trade and farmers gain commercial advantage. We hope that the introduction and application of the new traceability standard will enhance the transparency of processes in the food/feed chain, and will improve food safety as well as fair cooperation and communication between the different stakeholders in the food chain.
n 25 % of the global crop areas, GM (genetically modified) varieties of soybeans, cotton, corn, and rapeseed (canola) are grown today. The genes that have been introduced into these crops confer resistance to certain herbicides or produce toxins against specific insect pests. The United States accounts for almost two-thirds of bio-engineered crops produced globally. Other major countries where GM crops are grown include Argentina, Canada, Brazil, China, and South Africa 1). The future ISO standards being developed are of global relevance since they can contribute to facilitate international trade and services by providing an internationally consistent approach to the detection and analysis of GMO
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new legislation with extended labelling provisions came into effect 3). Other governments around the world followed the European Union example and have also developed labelling provisions for GM foods. However, the approaches taken in different countries towards GM food labelling differ greatly, as shown in Table 1. With labelling requirements in place, there was a demand for suitable means to control compliance. Following a suggestion mainly from European Codex Alimentarius members, the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived
1) James C. (2003) Preview : Global Status of Commercialized Transgenic Crops : 2003. ISAAA Briefs No 30. ISAA, Ithaca, NY (www.isaaa.org)
derived foods. This will enable affected stakeholders such as seed industries, crop growers, food producers and analytical laboratories to respond to labelling provisions that numerous countries around the world have developed, or are now developing and will provide food control authorities with a tool to control compliance with legal requirements.
Labelling provisions
When the USA first exported GM soybeans to Europe in 1996, the European Union (EU), partly in response to the public debate, introduced mandatory labelling for foods derived from genetically modified organisms (GMO) 2). In April 2004,
2) Regulation (EC) No 258/97. Official Journal of the European Communities L 43 : 1-7. 14.2.1997 3) Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 and Regulation (EC) Nr. 1830/2003. Official Journal of the European Communities L 268: 1-28. 18.10.2003.
Countries Argentina Canada United States Brazil China European Union Japan South Korea Taiwan
Labelling Scheme Voluntary Voluntary Voluntary Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory
% Threshold for Unintended GM Material Not applicable 5% Not applicable 1% 1% 0% 0,9 % 5 % (in top 3 ingredients) 3 % (in top 5 ingredients) 5 % (of GM soya or corn products)
Sources : compiled from Agricultural Issues Center, UC Davis, March 2003 ; Canadian Food Inspection Agency and International Trade Canada, April 2004 ; USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, June 2004 ; Reuters, March 30, 2004
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from Biotechnology established at its first session in March 2000 4) a Working Group on analytical methods. The working group under the chairmanship of Germany compiled a list of analytical methods together with their performance characteristics and validation status through information reported by member countries. A selection of validated methods was submitted for consideration to the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) in 2002. The methods are accessible via the Methods Database of the Joint Research Center of the European Commission (http://139.191.1.19/ GMOmethods.htm).
Food sampling
DNA extraction
Qualitative PCR
Quantitative PCR
tive sample of the goods under investigation. A next step is the extraction of either protein or DNA from the sample under study. The extracted proteins are taken to an immunoassay. The extracted DNA is subject to either a qualitative or quantitative PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). Protein Analysis Immunoassays are based on the specific binding of a protein to an antibody. They offer a high degree of automation and a high throughput of samples. A major drawback of immunoassays is that detection and measurement may be limited due to low levels of protein expression and degradation associated with food processing. Moreover, the content of new proteins is not evenly distributed in all plant tissues. Immunoassays can,
however, offer a test of considerable practical value for rapid field monitoring and testing of raw materials, e.g. grains and meal. PCR Analysis Because of its sensitivity and specificity, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which allows the exponential multiplication of a specific DNA fragment is currently the leading analytical technology employed in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of GMOs. The specificity of the PCR analysis relies on the binding of short oligonucleotides (primers) to the flanking regions of a DNA segment associ4) Report of the first session of the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology, Chiba 14 -17 March 2000. Codex Alimentarius Commission ALINORM ; 01/34
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Promotion
Transgene
Terminator
Marker gene
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Screening Event-specific Construct-specific
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oped under CEN lead and commented by the members of ISO and CEN and afterwards pre-assessed by ISO/TC 34/WG 7. After a comments resolution meeting held by CEN/TC 275/WG 11, the resulting final drafts are put up to a parallel vote and, if agreed upon, they are eventually published as EN ISO standards. The work programme decided by CEN/TC 275/WG 11 is based on the strategy of detection of genetic modified materials in Foods as given in figure 1. It comprises the development of standards for sampling strategies ( ISO 21568) protein-based methods (ISO 21572: 2004: E 5)) nucleic acid extraction methods (ISO 21571) qualitative nucleic acid based methods (ISO 2169) quantitative nucleic acid based methods (ISO 21570) general requirements and definitions (ISO 24276).
ated with the specific genetic modification. Since DNA is present in every cell of a GMO and the detection of only a short DNA fragment (50 100 bp) is sufficient to identify a genetic modification, PCR-based detection methods are suitable to detect traces of specific DNA sequences even in highly processed foods. Qualitative DNA detection methods provide either a yes or no response to the question whether GMO-derived DNA is present in the food sample under study. In order to control quantitatively, i.e. to check if a given labelling threshold is exceeded in a foodstuff, the ratio of genetically modified versus non-modified DNA is determined using a real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) system. PCR-based detection methods can be categorized into different levels of specificity (see figure 2) : Screening methods may be applied as a first check for the presence of certain genetic elements that are common to many of the currently commercialized genetically modified plants, such as promoters, terminators and marker genes. Construct-specific methods target the artificial junction between two DNA elements, such as a promoter and the transgene, that is not present in nature. Event-specific methods are used to discriminate GMOs that share the same DNA construct by targeting the unique junction found at the integration locus between the inserted DNA and the plant genome.
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The future standards will help allow food control authorities to control compliance with legal requirements.
Since the work of CEN/TC 275 is restricted to foodstuffs, ISO/TC 34/ WG 7 decided to take up future work on genetically modified seeds. A first draft standard on Oilseeds and oilseed flours Detection of genetically modified organisms by real-time quantitative PCR Soybean (ISO/CD 24274) has been developed.
5) published by CEN in March 2004
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Methods of functioning
SC 9 has been managed by France (an AFNOR secretariat with a French chair) since its creation. It has 27 P- (Participating) members, 20 O-
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(Observer) members and 14 international organizations in liaison. The objective is to standardize horizontal methods, broadly applicable not only to all foods, but also to animal feed, as well as to environmental samples in the area of food production and food handling. General standards are also prepared, such as ISO 7218 defining general requirements and recommendations for microbiological examinations. This standard is a basis for accreditation of laboratories in food microbiology. SC 9 currently comprises two working groups : WG 1 dedicated to meat and meat products (for the few standards specific to this food type), and the newly created WG 2 on statistics, which is to bring statistical expertise to SC 9 whenever needed. An adhoc group is also currently reflecting on how to rationalize the preparation of standardized methods within SC 9, as well as on the minimum requirements for standardizing a method (in terms of validation).
alternative methods, was published in 2003, after a long preparation process, where harmonization with AOAC in the USA was realized. ISO 6579, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs Horizontal method for the detection of Salmonella spp., a standard dealing with the most common analysis of pathogen in food microbiology, the detection of Salmonella, was revised in 2002. It includes performance data derived from an inter-laboratory trial organized at inter-continental scale, involving US and European laboratories, and the first on this scale on a pathogen. Further to this, in 2003, AOAC recognized this ISO International Standard as an Official Method. SC 9 is currently developing Guidelines on measurement uncertainty in quantitative microbiology.
national trade. More precisely, national or regional authorities define, based on the works of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), microbiological criteria (absence of a given micro-organism, or a maximum tolerated number of micro-organisms per quantity of product) permitting the commercialization of foods without endangering consumer health. Given the strong relationship between the result and the method previously mentioned, a criterion is not fully defined unless a reference method is attached to it. ISO standards are indeed cited in several national regulations, as well as in a draft European Regulation on microbiological criteria. These microbiological criteria, and other risk management measures, should be based, according to the principles laid down by CCFH, on risk analysis. Here again, the generation of epidemiological data, required for risk analysis, needs reliable methods recognized at international level for the recognition of the validity of the risk analysis studies themselves.
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Cooperation in practice
The interesting question for standardizers and those interested in understanding how cooperation can work will be How was this achieved ? Naturally there have had to be adjustments in the organizations procedures to achieve alignment but, given the number of years that has passed, and the steady evolution and improvement that is normal in bodies like ours it has been a relatively painless process. IDF has, step by step, accepted the more formal, but also more transparent, approval system of ISO and ISOs system of handling
ment methods and results, between meetings. Each body has striven to benefit from the others strengths. An important factor has been the mutual respect that the individuals involved have enjoyed for the major part of the 40+ years of cooperation. In that time there have, of course, been changes of personnel, but harmony has been a key factor in the success.
IDF has, step by step, accepted the more formal, but also more transparent, approval system of ISO.
comments and controlling the process of developing a standard. ISO/TC 34/SC 5 has taken over the pragmatic IDF procedure on developing methods, bringing all the experts named by the two organizations to participate in the work together in a large Analytical Week comprising up to 25 Joint Action Team meetings and involving over 150 participants every year. Besides the technical input, the Joint Action Teams (JAT) organize the interlaboratory studies to determine the precision of the methods demanded by the IDF and fulfilling the requirements of the ISO 5725 series, Accuracy (trueness and precision) of measure-
The alignment of technical content is achieved by the experts named by the member bodies of the two organizations all meeting in joint meetings.
ISO/TC 34/SC 5 and IDF have also each been able to see their work on methods of analysis and sampling of milk and milk products as part of a wider effort. The work covers a major group of foods within the scope of ISO/TC 34, Food products, whose work is largely, if not exclusively, orientated towards analysis and sampling of food commodities. For IDF it serves as support for the dairy sectors effort towards the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, the body recognized by the WTO as the source of standards of identity for human foodstuffs in international trade, but also as an unbiased and independent point of reference for the analysis of milk to determine its quality, and hence the price paid to the milk producer.
1 The International Dairy Federation is a body established in 1903 and funded by the dairy sector. In 2004 IDF has 41 member countries. 2 ISO/TC 34/SC 5, Milk and milk products, was set up in 1959 and has at present 19 P (Participating) member countries and 31 O (Observer) member countries.
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mes a year to ensure advance in parallel in s. This level of effort ntinue until the entire ternational Standards k items has appeared n.
The original programme e aged completing joint publicatio all existing equivalent IDF and TC 34/ SC 5 International Stand within a relatively short time, bearing in mind that production capacity is finite. It must not be forgotten that, at the same time, the normal (joint) ISO and IDF process of a five-yearly review and, if necessary, revision of existing standards has to proceed, and new work items are being added in the usual way. A systematic approach from the start identified the items that would progress rapidly because they were already close to completion or required only minor adjustment, those that would need more work to complete, and a third category of those which, up to 2001, had only just appeared and would not require review until 2005. Cooperation has resulted in recognizing that a special effort is required to keep the procedures of development and consultation in step in the two bodies. A refined work alignment procedure between the secretariats of IDF and ISO/TC 34/SC 5 has been established and, naturally, this joint effort takes work. In the first place, the alignment of technical content is
Photo : ISO
y p y member bodies of the two organizations all meeting in joint meetings. An alignment effort has also been undertaken by both secretariats with respect to other ISO work, notably on methods for food microbiology (ISO/TC 34/SC 9). On the administrative side the two secretariats (IDF and ISO/TC 34/SC
More ?
Any reader interested to know more about IDF-ISO cooperation is welcome to contact the author, EHopkin@fil-idf.org, ISO/TC 34/ SC 5 Secretariat, SCHAIK@COKZ.nl or Pauline Jones, Technical Programme Manager, at jones@iso.org
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Main Focus
n China, tradition holds it that the precious things are not pearls and jade but the five grains ; the first of these is, of course, rice. This unique grain helps sustain two-thirds of the worlds population as rice is the staple food in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, but its consumption has also increased in Europe and also in North America in the last years.
Photo : ISO
The composition of rice protein is the best among cereals, as the essential amino acids (that cannot be manufactured by the body) are present in it in the highest proportion and in the right ratios. In addition, rice is non-allergenic food as it does not contain gluten (in contrast with wheat, barley, rye and oats), and therefore people who suffer from celiac sprue disease (faulty absorption of food) can consume it without any difficulty. Processed rice contains fat only in trace amounts, and it is practically free of sodium also requirements for some types of diet. The vitamins and minerals are mainly present in the bran and embryo of rice ; therefore during the milling or polishing process, the quantity of these nutrients is also drastically reduced. However, parboiling of the rough crop (the original purpose of this process was to loosen the husk) increases the nutritive value of the milled rice as, during this treatment, water dissolves the vitamins and minerals present in the husk and bran coat and carries them into the endosperm (inside part of the grain). To bring the nutritional value of the processed grain to the whole, in the USA and some other countries rice is enriched with the above-mentioned nutrients and also with folic acid (among others, this latter has a role in the production of blood).
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International Standards for rice are developed by ISO/TC 34, Food products, subcommittee SC 4, Cereals and pulses. Among the current 52 International Standards developed by this subcommittee, three deal with rice solely, but 31 others are applicable to this crop as well as to all other cereals. The majority of the latter standards specify methods for the determination of various impurities, physical or chemical characteristics of cereals. However, there are standards containing recommendations for the storage of cereals, methods for samRice producers pling, etc. There are 11 items in the work programme of the Asia subcommittee for the develChina opment of new standards for cereals, including two for rice South America and four for all cereals. Brazil
Table 1 : Distribution of the rice (paddy) production of the world in the years 1999 and 2003.
those relating to the maximum level of impurities) are defined more stringently. ISO 6646:2000, Determination of the potential milling yield from paddy and from husked rice, details a method to standardize the determination of milling yield, to ensure that results obtained by different operators using abrasive test mills are comparable. Naturally, the milling yield is an important factor of the price. This standard helps to avoid litigation between seller and buyer originating in different results reached by different methods.
ISO 14864:1998, Evaluation of gelatinization time of kernels during cooking, specifies a method for the evaluation of gelatinization time of rice kernel during cooking which is also an important parameter of rice quality. The revised version of the former ISO 6647, Determination of amylose content, is under development. This is a very important standard as it deals with the determination of amylose, a constituent of starch.
1999 amount (ton) 554 627 820 200 403 308 22 078 704 11 709 700 17 726 090 5 816 960 9 343 954 9 343 954 % 90,79 36,13* 3,61 53,04* 2,90 32,82* 1,53 100,00*
2003 amount (ton) 534 262 715 166 417 000 20 133 181 10 198 900 19 076 017 5 800 000 9 033 610 9 033 610 3 217 311 1 359 826 2 428 209 715 800 412 890 391 000 588 563 933
Source: FAO
% 90,77 31,15 * 3,42 50,66 * 3,24 30,40 * 1,53 100,00 * 0,55 42,27 * 0,41 29,48 * 0,07 94,70 * 100,00
The most important rice standard is ISO 7301, Europe 3 238 858 0,53 Rice Specification, conItaly 1 427 100 44,06* taining the general, orgaCentral America 2 451 134 0,40 noleptic, physical and chemand Caribbean ical specifications of rice. It Dominican Republic (1999) 566 501 23,11* was developed to lay down Cuba (2003) the minimum requirements which rice has to meet in Oceania 1 412 341 0,23 the world market. The standAustralia 1 389 800 98,40* ard gives the definition of 21 terms relating to the processWorld total 610 878 901 100,00 ing and the defects of rice to avoid misinterpretations. ISO 7301 summariz* : expressed in the total production of the continent or the region. es the defect tolerances of the different rice categories and describes methods for checking how commercial products fulfil these requirements. To promote rice trade, the standard also specifies what should be included in all commercial contracts. The second edition of ISO 7301 was published in 2002, and compared to the first (published in 1988), the requirements (mainly
Photo : ISO
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Main Focus
Starch is the main carbohydrate of rice consisting of two different parts, amylose and amylopectin. The ratio of these two constituents differs between the different rice varieties and determines the textural properties of rice when it is processed or cooked. Amylose is present in a higher proportion in long grain rice that when cooked becomes fluffy and stand-alone , with a low tendency to stick. In medium, short, jasmine and waxy rice, on the other hand, amylopectin is the dominant element that makes these rice varieties more tender with a greater tendency to stick. Uncooked grains with high amylose content look translucent while those with low amylose content look opaque. The digestibility of the two starch constituents is different. Amylose is much harder to digest than amylopectin. Therefore, consumption of rice containing higher proportion of amylose raises the blood sugar level less than those containing higher proportion of amylopectin. As can be deduced from the above, the amylose content of rice is a key factor in the selection of new rice varieties in breeding programmes.
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By Renata Jedrzejczak, Chair ISO/TC 34/SC 3, and Sylwia Skapska, Secretary of ISO/TC 34/SC 3, Fruit and vegetable products Production and trade
ruits and vegetables and the products derived from them are widely consumed all over the world, and are very important commodities in the trade of most countries. The world production of fruit and vegetables demonstrates a systematic growth which exceeded 480 and 840 million tones in 2003, respectively, while total export and import values exceeded 150 billion USD. China, India, Brazil and the USA are the biggest fruit producers, while China, India, USA and Turkey lead in the vegetables production. Among different species of fruits that
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are cultivated all over the word, citrus fruits, bananas and apples have shown the largest annual output, while for vegetables potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages, onions, cucumbers and carrots. The short shelf life, especially of most fruits, and the frequent need to store and spread out the surplus of a harvest over a prolonged period of time has brought about a number of processes which provide more durable and stable fruit and vegetable products. They included canning, drying, freezing, and preparation of juices, nectars, jams, marmalades, jellies and purees. Unique vegetable products can be obtained by lactic acid fermentation. Except for preserving the perishable crops, processing can improve the nutritional value and increase the bioavailability of nutrients and the organoleptic qualities of some fruits and vegetables.
circumstances, like conditions of cultivation of plant raw materials, processing, packaging, transportation and storage. Despite all differences, every product needs to keep to the quality stated in the appropriate international or national standards and regulations. Over many years, analyses performed in different countries have allowed tables of chemical composition of fruit and vegetables and their by-products to be drawn up which enables us to compare them and find out their alteration and the authenticity of the same products from different origins. On the other hand, the risk of contamination of environmental or processing origins as well as the multiplicity of authorized food additives has resulted in developing sophisticated analytical methods for controlling these factors.
determination of natural compounds, physical and biochemical properties; determination of additives; determination of contaminants and impurities. The first group of standards concerns the analytical methods designed for checking the basic features of the products, such as composition (sugars, acids, vitamins, flavours) and quality indicators (pH, content of ethanol, etc.). These standards allow a control of product authenticity and overall nutritious and commercial quality. The second group of standards includes methods of determination of substances deliberately added to the product during the processing, such as preservatives (e.g. benzoic, sorbic, formic acids,
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Main Focus
sulphur dioxide). The third group of standards is aimed at the detection and determination of different kinds of undesirable and harmful substances, such as mineral and organic impurities, heavy metals (e.g. lead, cadmium) and micotoxins (e.g. patulin in apple products). Because of the fast scientific progress, analytical standards need to be constantly reviewed and, if necessary, new, more up-to-date techniques have to be introduced. Thus, there are four projects underway in the SC 3 work programme concerning determination of heavy metals : cadmium, arsenic and tin, with the advanced atomic absorption spectrometry methods. SC 3 standards are mostly used by fruit and vegetable producers, processing and trading companies, food controlling institutions, as well as by scientific laboratories. The field of activity of ISO/TC 34/SC 14, Fresh, dry and dried fruits and vegetables (see opposite) looks on the surface somewhat similar to that of SC 3, but in fact its standards almost exclusively concern product specifications and storage and refrigeration requirements. Only three SC 14 standards include test methods for dried apples, pears and peaches. Currently 16 member countries actively participate in the work of subcommittee SC 3, 41 countries have the status of observer members. Eight international organizations : AOAC (AOAC International), CAC (Codex Alimentarius Commission), IFRA - fragrance (International Fragrance Association), IFU (International Federation of Fruit Juice Producers), OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), OIV (International Vine and Wine Office), UN/ECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe), and WCO (World Customs Organization) are in liaison with SC 3.
Photo : ISO
here is a growing interest in Turkey in the use of International Standards and in being involved in the development process of the standards on fresh, dry and dried fruits and vegetables. All interested parties in the country such as public and private scientific laboratories, exporters unions and associations are involved in the
standards development process. Turkey ranks third in the world as an exporter of fresh fruits and vegetables, with the European Union its most important market for exports. Turkish exporters, that have now reached the figure of 40, are paying special attention to International Standards to ensure their trade is as smooth as possible. Exporters enjoy a close relationship with growers, the warehouse, packaging and processing firms. Participation in ISOs standardization work is therefore important to the country. The scope of the subcommittee is : Standardization in the field of fresh, dry and dried fruits and vegetables, in particular, terminology, sampling, product specifications, requirements for packaging, storage, transportation, methods of tests and analysis. The number of published ISO standards under the responsibility of the TC 34/SC 14 Secretariat stands at 69.
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Our objective is : to provide validated methods of analysis ; to facilitate international trade of fresh, dry and dried fruits and vegetables ; to satisfy consumers requirements from the point of view of human nutrition ; to provide guidance and common terminology for the product specifications, storage and transportation of fruits and vegetables.
to offer a greater volume of products designed to meet the requirements laid down in the standards.
units which can meet a correspondingly big demand over a period of time. Centralized marketing was only made possible by adopting uniform standards in line with the regulations in force in foreign markets.
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Main Focus
A geographical expansion of trade following the adoption of transport techniques whereby products can be protected over considerable distances and for periods which are sometimes very long ; A speeding-up of trade transactions partly due to the more extensive and rapid information now available to traders that enable them, by using modern means of communication, to place orders in accordance with their requirements and with the stipulations laid out in the standards ; The development of the marketing of large quantities, because homogeneous consignments can be delivered by complete lorry or wagon loads, by palletized load units or by containers, so that business can be transacted at a distance from the goods or on the basis of samples ; A change in the relations between traders, whereby personal confidence in their business relations is partly replaced by the use of guarantees of a public or professional nature that the standards will be observed. simultaneously, since prices tend to follow the values of these goods to the detriment of better quality products. Furthermore, standardization can be a means for effectively regulating trade. In most countries, the internal regulations of producers cooperatives fix prices for deliveries in the light of what the standards require, and this principle is an incentive to produce goods of superior quality.
The standardization of products begins when they are still on the tree or in the field.
It is thanks to standardization that collective information an important factor in the functioning of a market can be provided in a useful form and exert its full weight. Standardization also plays a part in the economics of the market as a factor associated with all the forces which help to adjust supply to demand. By imposing a selection, standardization tends to eliminate low-quality surpluses which devalue production and push down prices by their quantities. Consequently, the selling of standardized fruit and vegetables can lessen, and even halt, the falls in prices which occur when quantities of inferior goods arrive
ats and oils are an important part of the human diet, providing 9 kcal/g compared with 4 kcal/g for protein and carbohydrates. They also provide the essential fatty acids which are required for the maintenance of a healthy human body. They are used for direct consumption as edible fats and oils, fully refined seed oils or as cold pressed fruit oils. Subcommittee 11 of ISO/TC 34, Food products, is responsible for the standardization of methods of sampling and analysis for animal, marine and vegetable fats and oils. But fats and oils are also important raw materials for the food industry, and this is reflected in a total worldwide annual production of 124 million tons. Consequently, fats and oils are major commodities of world trade with almost 40 million tonnes being shipped annually, and thus, they are an important sector for the application of international standardization. The surface area of the world being used to produce oils and fats is increasing with increased consumer demand, and there is now a greater regional diversity of the production of all oilbearing crops. Thus, it is essential that the quality control tests performed on a shipment of palm oil being loaded in Papua New Guinea are the same as those carried out when it is received in Europe, and the case for standardization is obvious.
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includes animal fats such as tallow and lard, and also fish oils such as cod liver oil. With greater disposable incomes in the more developed countries, the analysis of minor components which may be of benefit to the human body will again provide an interesting area for the future development of analytical methods.
Photo : ISO
Comparing coffees
Which standards for whom ? By Maurice Blanc, Coffee Scientific Advisor and International Regulatory Affairs, Nestec, Chair of ISO/TC 34/SC 15, Coffee
Several ISO standards on coffee have recently been fully revised. An important standard on vocabulary (ISO 3509), is the reference standard to define products and operations throughout the coffee production chain. Referring to this standard avoids confusion when producers debate, for instance, the description of a defect or the exact description of a technical term. However, the core standard is ISO 10470, Green coffee Defect reference chart. This standard lists the different defects that can be identified in a coffee lot. The previous version was too complicated, describing in detail the impact of every defect on the quality of the product. It did not, however, address the impact in quantitative terms. Such a kind of quantitative impact only exists in classification systems developed by trading organizations. The ultimate objective of an ISO standard, by inserting qualitative and quantitative impact of the defects, is a first step towards better harmonization between the different systems. Every actor throughout the supply chain would benefit from such harmonization, from the farmer, the cooperative
offee export is a vital source of income for many countries. The recent revision of different ISO standards dealing with the quality of green coffee was driven by the importance of ensuring a sound trading system for this major commodity. Green coffee is traded according to its quality. This is determined by the presence of foreign matter or defective beans in a more or less large quantity. Two major green coffee varieties are traded and different classification systems exist depending on the variety. The level of quality is only assessed by counting the defects. The parallel existence of many different national and international classification systems makes comparison between the different coffee origins more complicated.
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or the mill cleaning the green coffee at origin to the trader, the buyer and the user at the end of the chain.
What is new ?
Legibility has been dramatically improved by introducing a simple and straightforward classification of defects in a limited number of categories according to their origin. In addition, the consequences of the presence of each defect can be now assessed in a real quantitative way. The classification systems applied by trade organizations is based on counting the number of defects. But because a stone is a stone whatever the size and the same for every foreign matter, the revised ISO standard suggests a weight approach i.e. once the defects have been sorted they are no longer counted but weighed and the percentage of each defect is calculated. Impact on quality from the presence of foreign matter and defective beans is calculated for both loss of mass and sensorial concern after multiplying each percentage by specific coefficients. These coefficients have been determined to take into account the level of influence of every defect. It is expected that the standard can be used to negotiate any contract of purchase between a provider and a client. For some particular defects, a non-normative annex presenting pictures of these
Coffee vocabulary avoids confusion when producers debate the description of a defect or the exact description of a technical term.
defects has been developed. This kind of visual tool can facilitate identification in case of doubt.
committee should continue, even after the adoption of the standard. As regards coffee, members of TC 34/SC15 should take the lead in promoting ISO 10470. Ideally this standard should be used to reconsider all existing green coffee classification systems. As already mentioned, direct comparison between the various classification systems is almost impossible. Flexibility in the supply chain is of increasing importance. But flexibility means that a very transparent system exists and allows the coffee companies buyers more choice in obtaining the best possible quality and cup profile. This revised ISO standard would be seen as a radical solution by part of the coffee world traditionally installed in familiar procedures. The actual low prices of coffee will trigger important modifications in the profession. These modifications should be associated with a greater importance given to cup quality of the products. The revision of the ISO standard has been done in this spirit.
Photos : Nestl
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Photo ISO
Main Focus
hances are, that someone, somewhere is drinking a cup of tea every minute of the day. If tea is so common and traded as a commodity why do we need standards ? This is a short outline of the historical back drop for tea today, how the tea trade came to work with ISO and independent researchers to develop International Standards so that everyone can be assured that they can enjoy a good cup of tea.
China speading through Sechuan, Yunnan and the Yun-Gui plateau. There are two varieties of Camellia sinesis, the China plant, or jat, (var. sinesis) and the India plant, or jat, (var. assamica). The China jat is a bush which grows up to 2,75 m tall with many stems and is very hardy. The Assam jat is a single stemmed tree which grows up to 18 m in height and less hardy. Modern cultivars are hybrids of these two varieties, this improves the yield and quality of the Assam jat whilst losing some of the hardiness of the China jat. Tea cultivation quickly spread from China to Japan and was introduced to Java in 1648 by a German naturalist, Andreas Cleyer. Subsequently tea was discovered in Assam in 1823 but its cultivation had to await another decade. The delights of Sri Lankan tea have their roots in disaster, coffee was destroyed by rust in the late 1870s and tea was planted to replace it. Later on in the century, Russia began cultivation of tea in 1847 and cultivation was established in Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Malawi) in the early 1900s.
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vide over 1000 billion cups of tea a year. Hot drinks represent about a third of all drinks consumed in the world and tea consumption is a quarter of all hot drinks. Over one and a half million tonnes of tea is consumed outside the producing countries and this valued at over USD 16 billion in domestic consumption alone. Drinking tea is enjoyed in over 100 countries around the globe with different styles of infusion, by young and old alike, signifying the fundamental nature of teas universal popularity. The billion dollar trade of tea between producing countries and consuming countries is therefore of major commercial importance and is also of key concern to many consumers. The degree of industrialization in producing countries, in the main, is much less than that in the majority of the consuming countries and tea is plays an import part in their economy. Consumption
International standards are vital to facilitate international trade in tea, to ensure consumers expectations are met.
varies from country to country and can be below 1 kg per capita per annum or over 8 kg per capita per annum.
Tea manufacture
Green tea is predominantly made by hybrid plants from the China jat with a smaller more delicate leaf than those which produce black tea which are hybrid plants from the Assam jat, but this is not a hard and fast rule. The manufacture of tea differs in that for green tea, the leaves are plucked and processed without letting the leaf constituents combine and pursue chemical and biochemical reactions. This is made possible by treating the leaf with a heat process as soon after plucking as is practical. In contrast, for black tea the leaves are plucked and then the leaves are macerated to allow the leaf constituents to mix and pursue chemical and biochemical reactions to create a range of liquors with a characteristic reddish-brown hue and taste which can be enjoyed both with, or without, milk. It is not surprising therefore that this major international trade in tea required some basic guidelines to ensure the producers and the consumers cultivated, sold and purchased tea of a quality which is expected from day to day and from year to year. Being from a plant, tea leaves have natural variations due to climatic and agronomic changes ; however, in the main there are basic characteristics which can be measured to maintain the qualities we all expect.
International standards are vital to facilitate international trade in tea, to ensure consumers expectations are met, to support the development of Good Manufacturing Practice for both black and green tea through minimum compositional specifications and to provide validated methods of analysis. Tea can be grown in some of the worlds remote locations, although this is not always the case as can be seen in China and Japan, across a number of continents including Asia, Africa and South America. One of the many challenges in developing standards for tea, particularly in developing methods of analysis, is to ensure those who cultivate and manufacture tea can use the methods equally well to the sophisticated scientific laboratories
Above Black tea (left) and green tea (right) bushes. Below Green tea growing near Hangzhou, China the area famous for the, Longjing (Dragon Well) tea.
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Main Focus
used by the regulatory authorities in the highly consumer oriented countries. Standards developed in this way enable the tea producers to demonstrate that tea is of the quality to be enjoyed by consumers the world over. In addition, the trade expectations are to promote good manufacturing practice, quality conservation during economic transport and suitability of tea for high speed packing for attractive presentation in the supermarkets around the world. The next phase of work involved developing a standard for instant tea (ISO 6079) which is not only used for a more convenient way of preparing tea but is also a key ingredient in iced tea whether in the ready-to-drink form, which is increasingly becoming available, or in the dry mixes form which is available in countries where iced tea is very popular. The analytical methods to support this specification have also been developed and validated by international ring trials with laboratories representing producing and consuming countries. The advent of bulk packaging and containerization meant that the traditional tea chests became less economically viable, and they were also not ideal for protecting tea from moisture and taint. This stimulated the need for a packaging solution to transporting tea around the world. A major work programme was undertaken to develop a reference sack specification (ISO 9884-1) to provide standard dimensions for efficient use of container space, constructed with materials which ensure adequate strength, protection from moisture and taint together with the methods of test. The second part of the standard (ISO 9884-2) defines the performance specification for the sack. This does not envisage that one sack should be used for the transport of tea, but defines the material characteristics and performance characteristics by which alternatives can be evaluated and found acceptable.
Tasting tea in the sales room at Tetley using ISO 7516 every day.
It is important to develop methods of analysis validated internationally for the measurement of flavonoid and flavanol levels in tea.
The importance of world trade in tea lead to the recognition in the late 1960s and early 1970s that standards for tea quality should be established to smooth the progress of trade and to ensure consumers expectations are met. So, the tea committee was established and became part of ISO as Working Group 8 in the early 1970s and was fully established as a subcommittee (SC 8) of TC 34 in 1976. The good work of the committee started to made early progress by publishing the black tea standard (ISO 3720) in 1977. This established the basic parameters for good manufacturing practice for guidance with leaf plucking and tea sorting standards, prevent the sale of spent leaf and prevent the use of traditional adulterants. The definition of black tea was developed and provided the basic specifications of extractable solids, fibre and ash. The supporting work developing analytical methods for preparing samples and measuring moisture content, extractable solids, fibre and ash content were developed and validated in ring trials with laboratories representing both producing and consuming countries provided the 7 analytical methods which established the means of measuring the basic tea parameters. These methods form the basis of the international
trade of tea and are used for auditing purposes and for resolving of differences of opinion. In parallel with this work, methods for sampling tea (ISO 1839), for the preparation of liquor for use in sensory tests (ISO 7516), and for a glossary of terms relating to black tea were established to aid a common language to be developed in the tea sales rooms. Black tea is manufactured on a daily basis in season and a large volume of this production is sold at auction. This means that samples are distributed to agents and purchasers around the world to evaluate the organoleptic qualities of the tea to determine if it is suitable either for direct sale or for use in the familiar blends of tea we find on the supermarket shelves around the world. These methods are used everyday in the tea sales rooms for tea selection, valuation and purchase. An ISO tea grading nomenclature system (ISO 11286) has also been established to define different sizes and grades of tea leaf which can be used as part of this evaluation process.
The statue of Lu Yu, the early tea scholar, at the tea museum near Hangzhou, China.
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are to be published in 2005. The need for these methods was envisaged in the first edition of the black tea specification but it is becoming even more important because in recent years there has been an increasing interest in the health benefits of tea consumption. Scientific research and epidemiology studies are proposing that consuming tea may maintain a healthy disposition to reduce the likelihood of succumbing to the excesses of cardiovascular disease and some cancers ; if it helps
with hydration, it could assist weight maintenance programmes and bone maintenance amongst other benefits. It is therefore very important to develop methods of analysis which are validated internationally for the measurement of flavonoid and flavanol levels in tea. This is not only for compositional analysis to support the black tea standard but also to ensure that the quoted flavonoid contents of teas is meaningful and can be used for comparative purposes by consumers, the trade and legislators alike. The working group including participants in the UK, Germany, China and initially Malawi who looked at a number of different methods of analysis to form the basis for measuring total polyphenols (flavonoids) in tea before basing its work on the method of Singleton & Rossis 1965 paper in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture. The challenges were
greater when developing a method to measure catechins (flavanols) in green tea because pure, verified chemical standards for accurate quantitation of the catechins are not commercially available. These standards were purified and circulated to the participants of the international ring trial together with HPLC columns filled with chromatographic material from the same batch so that quantitation could be verified and validated. This work has enabled the calculation of relative response factors which means that any analyst can now quantify the levels of catechins in green and black tea without the need to purchase very expensive chemical standards which may vary in their purity. This valuable work means that the methods can now be used equally well by analysts in the producing and consuming countries without placing either at a commercial disadvantage. The results of measurements with these methods can now also be used by the leading researchers in the
Dr. Scott (centre), recently appointed ISO/TC 34/SC 8 chair, with Professor Luo (right), leader of the Chinese delegation, and her colleague Ms Guo (left) at the recent ISO conference at Hangzhou, China in October 2003.
field who establishing the health benefits for consumers of tea. It has taken over 10 years to develop these methods, introduce refinements to improve their application and internationally validate their use with the collaboration of over 20 laboratories representing both producer and consumer countries. So it was fitting, and with great pleasure, that Dr Peter Collier, SC 8 Chair 1988-2003, presided over the ISO TC 34/SC 8 meeting which confirmed the proposal to publish these two methods as ISO standards in Hangzhou, China in October 2003.
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(appearance, bruxism prevention) and functional (chewing, temporomandibular joint) health. In recent studies, effects have been noted as diverse as increased blood flow to the brain as a result of chewing and the findings of epidemiologists that expectant mothers with gum disease are more likely to deliver too early or to have babies that are too small.
At present there are more than 100 dental bonding products on the market.
The inexorable aging of the population which is occurring in many Western and some other countries means that many people will maintain good health to the age of 85, but the majority will require at least some assistance for physical and mental impairment including dental rehabilitation. The implications of these changes for dental practice and the utilization of dental biomaterials are clear. Further, without consensual agreement on standards for practice the complex system of dental health care technology required to treat dental diseases in this population would be unable to function. The players in the dental standards area, in addition to the millions of patients, are the more than 700 000 dentists represented by the FDI (Fdration Dentaire Internationale) and its more than 150 constituent National Dental Organizations and the more than 4000 dental manufacturers represented by the International Dental Manufacturers and their constituent regional member associations.
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The early work on ISO standards for dentistry was primarily concerned with physico-chemical characterizations of materials and their use as a basis for evaluation of fitness for practice. However, the rapid development of new materials and techniques, beginning in the 1960s, led to recognition of the importance of biological evaluations also to assure safety and efficacy in dental practice. This was accentuated by the introduction of legislative requirements for mandatory testing of dental and medical biomaterials in several countries. This necessity for biologic as well as physicochemical assessment has led to a much wider scope and area of responsibility for ISO/TC 106.
1.
2.
Innovations demand both new standards and the revision of existing specifications.
Secondly, the increasing desire for cosmetic or aesthetic dentistry, which involves minimal size fillings and tooth-coloured filling materials such as polymer-ceramic composites and ceramics. This includes also the incorporation of bonding systems that show adhesion to the tooth and so improve retention and reduce marginal leakage and staining. This is the most rapidly growing area: for example, at present there are more than 100 dental bonding products on the market. Thirdly, the exponential increase in the use of titanium implants embedded in the jaws as a foundation for the replacement of a missing tooth or teeth
ISO Focus September 2004
3.
1. The upper jaw of a patient with 7 titanium implant posts embedded in the bone. 2. The denture framework held in place by screws into the implant posts. 3. Front view of denture structure in the mouth.
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Photo : ISO
Twenty years ago the average attendance at the annual ISO/TC 106 meeting was about 40 persons ; now it is about 300.
In addition to TC 106, about 20 other TCs are concerned directly or indirectly with healthcare technology. Those relevant to dentistry include : sterilization and disinfection, anaesthetic equipment, surgical instruments and materials, and surgical implants. A liaison is maintained with most of these committees. ISO/TC 106 has seven active subcommittees and 47 working groups. The total membership of the group is about 300. There are 150 published ISO standards relating to dentistry. This brief account of ISO/ TC106 is not able to detail the technical complexity of modern dental standards but it is hoped that it does indicate the dedication, effort and contribution of the members of the technical committee towards the endeavours to maintain dependable standards of practice in a rapidly changing world. In April 2004, BSI (United Kingdom) relinquished the secretariat of ISO/TC106, Dentistry after 30 years. The responsibility was assumed by Canada, which has been a member of the committee for many years. The secretariat is located at the Canadian Dental Association in Ottawa with the support of the Standards Council of Canada. Nath-
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1 shows two corroded and broken silver tin amalgam fillings. 2 shows the same teeth after the metal fillings have been replaced by tooth-coloured resin-ceramic composite materials. (Illustrations courtesy of Dr. D. McComb).
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Photo : ISO
can have major consequences. In the international natural gas market, the caloric value needs to be known to the permillage, as it concerns major quantities in which a small deviation may involve millions of dollars.
Calibration of gas mixtures is of extreme importance in situations in which even the smallest deviations in measurements can have major consequences.
Over the years, four standards dealing with dated preparation methods were withdrawn, and some others transposed to ISO/TC 193, Natural gas. Moreover, the gas analysis vocabulary (ISO 7504) has been updated. Additional standards focus on quality control of gas analysis and handling of gas cylinders, aimed at supporting the production of reliable gas composition data and, thereby, at promoting a smooth and reliable worldwide transaction of industrial and other gases.
ISO Focus September 2004
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ideas in and to extract new directions for standardization from the work field. At the symposium, experts from all over the world will assemble to exchange knowledge on the latest developments. A variety of subjects will be addressed in parallel sessions, such as trace elements, on- and off-line analyses, sampling guidance and new applications of gases, gaseous fuels and calibration gases. With the Kiev update of our programme, ISO/TC 158 is ready for new challenges, and cooperation with other ISO technical committees working on gases. We will discuss all existing and upcoming ideas and requests from standard users. ISO/TC 158 work in the future is likely to be mainly in producing technical specifications and informative standards, to act as a generic starting point for the development of more specific, compound-oriented methods for gas analysis. Obviously, ISO/TC 158 offers its support to other TCs dealing with analyses of gases and gas mixtures.
When ISO/TC 158 met in a plenary session in April 2004 in Kiev, Ukraine, we finalized the work of four of our six working groups. Only a few amendments and a technical report were added to our work programme. To bolster the incentive to users to implement its standards in particular, to the new European Union member states the TC is currently
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Year of transition for ISO 9000 and confirmed growth for ISO 14001
The ISO Survey of ISO 9001: 2000 and ISO 14001 Certificates, which each year provides a panorama of certification to ISOs well-known quality and environmental management system standards, has just been published revealing the worldwide situation at the end of 2003, which was a year of transition for ISO 9000 and confirmed growth of ISO 14001. ISO itself does not perform certification to its ISO 9000 and ISO 14001 management system standards and does not issue ISO 9000 and ISO 14001 certificates. It carries out The ISO Survey, which is now in its 11th year, as a public information service. ISO collects the survey data from disparate sources and cannot guarantee their quality and accuracy. However, the survey is eagerly awaited each year since it provides a unique indicator to the worldwide implementation of ISOs management system standards although organizations may also implement and benefit from the standards without seeking certification. The survey provides the following principal results for 2003 : ISO 9001:2000 Up to the end of December 2003, at least 500 125 certificates to the ISO 9001:2000 quality management system standard had been issued in 149 countries and economies. The 2003 total represents an increase of 332 915 (+ 200 %) over 2002, when the total was 167 210 in 134 countries and economies. The 2003 total represents an increase of 455 737 (more than ten times higher) over 2001, the first year for which the survey recorded ISO 9001:2000 certifications, when the total was 44 388 in 98 countries and economies.
ISO Focus September 2004
The ISO Standards Handbook Corrosion 1) gathers together into one volume 56 International Standards for corrosion and corrosion protection mostly prepared by ISO/TC 156, Corrosion of metals and alloys (38 standards), that takes the lions share. But, showing just how prevalent this scourge is, many other ISO technical committees have developed specific standards related to the phenomenon: ISO/TC 17, Steel, ISO/TC 28, Petroleum products and lubricants, ISO/TC 67, Materials, equipment and offshore structures for petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries, ISO/TC 79, Light metals and their alloys, ISO/TC 44, Welding and allied processes, ISO/TC 22, Road vehicles, ISO/TC 26, Copper and copper alloys, ISO/TC 114, Horology, and ISO/ TC 123, Plain bearings. So important are the preparation and protection of steel substrates that the whole of Volume 4 of the ISO Standards Handbook, Paints and varnishes, is devoted to this subject. Failures due to corrosion impact on health and safety, and on the environment so that the avoidance and control of corrosion are of the utmost importance. The ISO Standards Handbook : Corrosion will prove a useful tool for designers, engineers, technologists, and for all those dealing with corrosion protection in different branches of industry.
1) ISO Standards Handbook, Corrosion. In English, ISBN 92-67-10395-4, 1st ed. 2004, 930 p.
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In addition, the survey identifies two developments in particular as being responsible for reducing the worldwide total of certificates. One is the evolution from multiple, single-site certificates to single, multiple-site certificates. This is the case of organizations operating multiple sites, each of which previously held a separate certificate, that have now rationalized their certification programme as they made the transition and obtained a single ISO 9001:2000
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Coming up
on the part of its stakeholders were condensed into a global vision for the coming five years that is being considered at the General Assembly. The broad lines and thinking behind the Plan are highlighted in this issue of ISO Focus. The role that standards can play in assuring global security and ISOs current and potential involvement is to be the theme of a talk at the General Assembly, followed by a case study in maritime and multi-modal transport ; the potential for ISO standards to develop tools to assist in attaining greater global security is also the subject of a report from ISOs highlevel advisory group on security, that is conducting a stakeholder outreach programme. The global relevance of standards has been a topic of discussion for some time ensuring that the standards ISO produces are good for use through the world. To emphasize the importance of this aspect of International Standards to standardizers, members and stakeholders, ISOs Technical Management Board has developed a Policy Statement giving the theory and practice behind the term of global relevance ; ISO explains why these represent important notions for members and standardizers to keep constantly in mind. vide a basis for international trade in system products and services . From a summary of a vast body of systems thinking about products and services, best practice has been progressively refined and formalized, and has culminated for the first time in a single, commonly accepted, international viewpoint set in the business context.
Main Focus
Global relevance and global strategies
Global is not only a very concrete concept in the business context of today, but a vital component in social and technical fields as well, where it is difficult to operate effectively without taking the global factor into account. In the standards area, it is a key element to ensure the effectiveness of the use of standards and to help avoid raising technical barriers to trade . Though the phenomenon has been growing exponentially over last decades, the notion of global will be especially present at the ISO General Assembly this month. The 2004 event in Geneva, debating about both what has happened over the year since the General Assembly in Argentina in 2003 and what is in the pipeline today, global has been an issue affecting many or most of the major issues currently on the table. Between May and October 2003, ISO organized a consultation of ISO members and stakeholders and of ISOs major international partners to collect suggestions and expectations regarding ISOs strategy, ISO Strategic Plan 2005-2010 Standards for a Sustainable World. The fruits of the thought, reflection and consultation
ISO 1 4004
Coming this Winter (or Summer), the revised ISO 14001* and ISO 14004*. The global EMS standards. www. .org
* Already available as FDIS (Final Draft International Standards)