SWITZERLAND: MODIFICATION OF SEVERAL ORDINANCES BASED ON THE FOOD LAW OF 9 OCTOBER 1992 The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6. G/TBT/Notif.97.390. 1. Member to Agreement notifying: SWITZERLAND. If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2). 2. Agency responsible: Federal Office of Public Health. Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification can be indicated if different from above. 3. Notified under Article 2.9.2. 4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Foodstuffs, cosmetics, plastic materials. 5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Modification of Several Ordinances Based on the Food Law of 9 October 1992. 6. Description of content: The modifications comprise: New limit and tolerance values for microbiological organisms; new limit and tolerance values for foreign substances in and on foodstuffs; adaption of the Ordinances on Cosmetics and the Ordinance on Plastic Materials and Objects to the actual EC-regulations; a new regulation on the addition of iodid or iodat to salt. The modifications are scheduled to come into force mid-October 1997. 7. Objective and rationale: . Adaptation of the technical regulations to the state of science (hygiene, foreign substances in foodstuffs), improvement of the health-protection (possibility to add a bigger quantity of iodid/iodat to salt), abolition of barriers to trade (additives, cosmetics). 8. Relevant documents: The following Ordinances will be modified: Ordinance on Additives Permissible in Foodstuffs; Ordinance on Foreign Substances and Components of Foodstuffs; Ordinance on Hygienic and Microbiological Requirements of Foodstuffs, Commodities, Facilities, Installations and Personnel; Ordinance on Mushrooms; Nutrition Value Ordinance; Ordinance on Plastic Materials and Objects; Ordinance on Cosmetics. 9. Proposed date of adoption: Mid-October 1997; Proposed date of entry into force: Mid-October 1997. 10. Final date for comments: 1 October 1997. 11. Text available from: National enquiry point. (0239)

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