YOUR OPINION

Are nuts fattening?

• Yes
• No
• I don’t know

 

The INC participated in the 57th Session of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce, held in Geneva, 28 June – 2 July 2010. Representatives of France, Germany, Hungary, India, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey and the USA attended the meeting, along with a representative of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Mr. Pino Calcagni, Chairman of the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, provided an update on the recent activities, especially the recent World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress held in China, May 2010. He stressed the economic importance of the nut and dried fruit sector, noting its global production and consumption character. He also reported on INC’s collection of statistical data of nuts and dried fruits around the world, and briefly described INC’s participation in the EU co-financed project Mycored (Novel Integrated Strategies for Worldwide Mycotoxin Reduction in Food and Feed Chains). He underlined INC’s continued support for the work of the UNECE Specialized Section on Dry and Dried Fruit and stressed the importance of helping producer countries to meet quality requirements.

The Specialized Section discussed the proposed option of removing the reference to “United Nations Economic Commission for Europe” at the top of the cover page of the standards, noting that the UNECE standards for dry and dried produce were more and more widely and globally applied. A delegation requested extension of time to reflect on the issue until the Working Party’s session in November 2010.

The Specialized Section agreed to submit the revised texts for approval on Hazelnut Kernels, Pistachio Kernels and Peeled Pistachio Kernels, Dates to the Working Party in November 2010 for adoption as revised UNECE standards. Delegations reviewed the text of the Recommendation for Inshell Macadamia Nuts and Macadamia Kernels, and introduced several changes. The Specialized Section agreed to submit the revised texts to the Working Party in November 2011 for adoption as new UNECE standards. The Standard for Cashew Kernels was revised by informal working groups that took place during the week, and a fundamental revision would be continued by a working group led by India and the INC; the United Republic of Tanzania and Germany agreed to participate. It was decided that the work on the alignment of the existing Inshell Walnuts with the New Standard Layout would start in 2012. The Specialized Section reviewed the first draft Explanatory Brochure for Walnut Kernels, which had been prepared by the delegation of the United States.

It was decided to continue the work on new sampling procedures, one for tree nuts and one for dried produce. The Rapporteur (Germany) together with other interested delegates including France, United States and INC, will prepare new drafts.

The Specialized Section agreed i.a. on the following items for future work:

• - Development of a new UNECE Standard for Brazil Nut Kernels (Coordination: INC, together with Brazil);


• - Development of a new UNECE Standard for Pine Nuts (Coordination: INC, together with France, Spain, Turkey, United States, as well as, if possible, Canada, China, Italy, Mongolia, Pakistan, Portugal, or Russia);


• - Coordination with the Codex secretariat in the area of nuts and dried fruit.

UNECE Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce. Report on its fifty-seventh session. Geneva, 28 June – 2 July 2010.