OMB Codex 234 Working Group Meeting Book (April 27, 2018)

On the teleconference with the milk experts, IDF representation viewed this working group exercise  as an opportunity to link with a parallel effort within CCMAS to review and make recommendations  on milk and milk product methods within Codex STAN 234 1 .  A report on the review and  recommendations is due at the May 2018 meeting of CCMAS.  This effort is led by IDF with the hope  that ISO and AOAC would jointly review and submit recommendations.  SINCE THE LAST WORKING GROUP MEETING  While there is considerable similarity in the work to be done, the two efforts are separate and  distinctly different.  1. The AOAC led effort begins with OMB establishing a framework for review and maintenance  of all methods in the Codex STAN 234, followed by working with other SDOs on review of their  methods in the standard.  The AOAC led effort is estimated to be a multi‐year effort and an  update on this effort, at least for now, formally will be to the IAM only in oral format.  2. The IDF led effort is specific only to the milk and milk products methods.  The one‐year effort  is an action item of the CCMAS meeting in the CCMAS report.  CCMAS requested  recommendations be submitted in May 2018.  AOAC was requested to make comments on the IDF recommendations for AOAC methods for milk and  milk products section of Codex STAN 234. Melissa Phillips, Chair of the OMB Working Group on Codex  STAN 234 and Darryl Sullivan (AOAC primary representative to the IAM and CCMAS), drafted a  response indicating that AOAC is not prepared to make any recommendation on the AOAC methods  at this time 2 .  Therefore, to avoid IDF and ISO proposing automatic retyping or removal of AOAC  methods based on current applicability or apparent lack of data, and without AOAC’s formal review  and consensus, the language used in the IDF draft documentation is, “the AOAC method as written…”  with the caveat that AOAC methods, including all supporting documentation, will undergo a thorough  review and a formal recommendation on these AOAC methods will be presented in the future as part  of the working group’s efforts.  NEXT STEPS AND ACTION ITEMS   AOAC to schedule next working group meeting prior to the CCMAS meeting   Melissa Phillips will attend the IAM and CCMAS meetings in May as part of the AOAC  delegation, during which she is slated to provide a verbal report to the IAM on the AOAC OMB  working group activities and address any questions regarding the CCMAS recommendations  for the milk and milk product methods submitted by IDF 3 .

1  CCMAS report from May 2017 with highlighted sections  2  Email to IDF on AOAC position  3  CCMAS meeting agenda and IDF submitted review and recommendations