Trading Standards

Fair trade exploited the mainstream channels by focusing on selling to institutional outlets. In 1988, the first fair trade label, Max Havelaar, was established in The Netherlands. This seal of approval was awarded to conventional businesses that respected fair trade standards that were open to external monitoring. Other labels such as Transfair International (co-founded by EFTA) and the Fairtrade Foundation, have also evolved. The International Fair Trade Labelling Organisation (FLO) has coordinated all fair trade labelling since April 1997 (EFTA, 1998). 

The regulations require that furniture shall be labelled to indicate its conforming with various parts of the Act. Fire hazard warning labels are required as well as labels which identify the furniture, the person responsible for it in UK law (which may be the manufacturer or importer) as well as information relating to the composition of the furniture. The latter information may be on the label or may be retained by the company but must be available to Trading Standards Officers for a period of 5 years. 

The phenolic componnds content of virgin olive oils is not a composition parameter enclosed among those listed by the normative (EC Regulations, International Olive Oil Trade standard. Codex Alimentarins Standard), probably because of the widespread distribution of valnes... 

The majority of fiuit juice is made by reconstituting concentrated juice with water to a composition similar to that of the original state. However, since records are not usually kept of the exact quality of the original juice, such reconstitution normally relates to an agreed trade standard. Reconstituted juices are often packed in aseptic long-fife containers such as TetraPaks. 

Another important factor is the volume of unfilled headspace designed into the bottle. Typically, this is not less than 5% of the total volume for an IPP carbonated product and ideally it is more like 7%. This is because as the product expands during pasteurising, the headspace becomes squeezed, and the smaller the headspace volume, the higher the internal pressure becomes. This could blow the closure off the bottle or, more typically, cause leakage of carbon dioxide or product or both. The loss of product gives rise to uneven fill levels, which could cause consumer concern over apparent low fills or, more seriously, draw attention from trading standards officers because of short volume fills. 

Complaints reach the manufacturer either directly from the consumer or via a retailer or from a government agency (in the UK either a Trading Standards Officer (TSO) or an Environmental Health Officer (EHO)). Most complaints fall into one of the following categories ... 

Toxic chemical intake must be quantified in order that comparisons between different chemicals (e.g. pesticides), diets and countries can be made. Most countries in the developed world conduct surveys which involve analysing food for pesticide residues. These values are then put in context by comparing them to benchmarks of toxicity (Acceptable Daily Intake - ADI) or with trading standards (Maximum Residue Level -MRL) which are set to ensure that countries exporting food do not export excessive pesticide residues with that food. 

The MRL is not a toxicological parameter, but rather a trading standard set by national and international authorities (e.g. Codex Alimentarius) to ensure that residues are controlled in world food trade. 

IOOC (International Olive Oil Council) (1999) Trade Standard Applying to Olive Oil and Olive-pomace... 

In the view of local authorities it is normally assumed that farm-gate sales only cover unprocessed goods produced on that farm. It is ancillary to the use as a farm and therefore does not require specific planning permission. If the product is labelled or described as organic it must, regardless of the size of the operation, meet all the requirements of UKROFS and Trading Standards. 

Sensory quality of olive oil is currently determined by the European Union regulation (15) or the International Olive Oil Council (lOOC) trade standard (16). Both official methods used trained panelists but differ in the sensory descriptors and the scales employed. The EU standard involves rating the oil for olfactory, gustatory, and tactile attributes on intensity rating scales ranging from 0 (no perception) to 5... 

Other organizations also set up standard definitions for special purposes—for example, the Trade Standards Division of the U. S. Department of Commerce in connection with commercial standards 19), the Federal Specifications Board for government purchase specifications and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists as part of textile test methods. 

Initially, Wolkoff et al. (1991) developed a testing protocol for the FLEC cell. Later, a Nordtest method for laboratory measurements was approved (Nordtest, 1995). This Nordtest method mainly deals with the FLEC as a testing device for the determination of VOCs at standard climate and using adsorbent tubes intended for analysis by GC. Trade standards describing materials sampling etc. have been developed for specific products like paints (SVEFF, 1997) and flooring materials (GBR 1992a, GBR... 

GBR (1992a) Trade standard-Measurement of Chemical Emission ftom Flooring Materials, Approved by The Swedish Flooring Trades Association and The Swedish National Testing and Research Institute, 1992. 

Gustafsson H. and Jonsson B. (1993) Trade standards for testing chemical emission from building materials, Part 1 Measurements of Flooring Materials. Proceedings of Indoor Air 93, Helsinki, Finland, Vol.2, 437-442. 

GBR, Trade Standard (1992) Measurement of Chemical Emission from Flooring Materials. Swedish National Flooring Trade Association (GBR) and the Swedish National Testing and Research Institute, Stockholm. 

The function of the WTO, to establish trade standards at an international level, is particularly important in today s era of globalization. The WTO engages in analysis and debate about the relationship between international trade and investment, and its implications for economic growth and development [47]. It promotes trade and eliminates inefficiencies [47] by imposing obligations on members to accept common rules and arbitration methods. The WTO addresses trade issues in a number of different categories, one of which is the protection of IPRs and trade. 

S. Miyagawa (MHLW, Japan) explained the background and implementation experience for the new system of food safety regulation, which came into force on May 29, 2006, for some 745 pesticides on both domestic and imported foods. He reported that the first several months of implementation of the positive list resulted in an increase in violations, which came from a trade standard issue. Then, the lecturers from China, USA, and Australia discussed implementation issues and future needs related to agricultural practices and compliance with the new positive MRL system of Japan on the part of farmers and exporters. 

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