SAVE THE DATE: Private Sector-OIV Strategic Dialogue

The private sector has a legitimate role to play in informing intergovernmental organisations whose policies have an impact. FIVS is delighted to coordinate the first private sector-OIV dialogue to share industry opportunities and challenges with a key stakeholder. Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of our sector together.

This meeting aims to be inclusive and open to FIVS membership and other organisations with an interest in wine and vine, from grape to glass. Please forward this “save the date” notice to others within your membership who may be interested in participating and let us know which of your members would like to be present so we can help ensure they have details of how to register on our website in due course.

A detailed agenda for the event will be circulated in September. The formalities should start at 10am with registration and refreshments available from 9.30am. Meanwhile, let us know if you or others are interested in joining by contacting Karen Geronimo so we can ensure you are on our mailing list for invitations when they are issued.

Date: Monday, 07 October 2024

Venue: Comet Bercy (40 avenue des terroirs de France, 75012 Paris)

Cost: Free for FIVS Members attending the 2024 Paris Meetings or 410€ for non FIVS Members

A core part of FIVS’s value to members is to work with policy makers and regulators to help ensure fairness and workability of the rules, technical standards and guidelines that surround members’ products and practices. Our Committees and Working Groups shape our positions and recently we have shared industry perspectives through multiple stakeholder consultations, including:

1. Thailand Health Warnings

When the Thai government’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee (ABCC) proposed graphic health warnings in February 2024, FIVS, along with others intervened, successfully, in that the measure has been withdrawn by the Thai government in favour of a more balanced approach.

The proposal on graphic health warning labels largely mirrored previous attempts by the Thai Government to introduce graphic labels a decade and more ago (cf. G/TBT/N/THA/437).

FIVS will continue to monitor this issue and to advocate for an evidence-based approach to health warnings and the minimisation of trade barriers. Members can see our response here.

2. World Health Organization (WHO)

The WHO organised a multi-stakeholder written consultation in May 2024 in preparation for the 2025 Fourth High-level Meeting (HLM) of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs).

The consultation was significant as it signaled the start of the most significant multilateral negotiation on alcohol and health this side of the 2030 process that will replace the Global Alcohol Action Plan and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There is a risk that the 2025 UN Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases could further exclude the private sector from policy consultation and implementation on alcohol and health and see a shift from a consensus around reducing harmful use of alcohol towards reducing alcohol consumption overall.

FIVS responded in June by highlighting the need to tackle the harmful use of alcohol instead of just alcohol use, the benefits of multiple policy options and the role of the private sector to effectively reduce the harmful use of alcohol. Our aim being to secure this inclusive language in the 2025 HLM UN Declaration.

3. International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV)

In March 2024, at the OIV spring meetings, FIVS submitted 67 written comments on OIV resolutions at step 3 and step 5. The FIVS delegation composed of Julie Hesketh-Laird and Laura Gelezuinas of FIVS, supported by Marina Malherbe (Comité Vins), attended in person to support the comments made on behalf of the sector. Notable technical developments include:

• Cadmium in Wine: FIVS cautioned against lowering the existing limit of cadmium in wine as it would exceed the testing capacity in certain countries and make many wines non-compliant despite the lack of new toxicological reviews justifying a new limit.
• Certificates of Analysis: FIVS advocated for the existence of only one certificate of analysis with commonly used parameters, to avoid regulatory confusion in the case of multiple optional certificates.
• E-labelling: FIVS was supportive of this resolution which will provide guidelines on the labelling of mandatory and voluntary information via digital means.
• Varietal Name: FIVS suggested keeping the minimum varietal percentage at 75% instead of 85% to avoid problems with economies where 75% is the standard.

FIVS was also consulted on the OIV Draft Strategic Plan 2025-2029 in its capacity as an OIV Observer. FIVS expressed its support for greater OIV engagement in the area of trade and wine & health and identified the need for more strategic dialogue between the OIV and the wine sector, which FIVS could lead on behalf of the sector. We met with the OIV’s Director General, John Barker and some of his team on 4 June to discuss the draft Strategic Plan ahead of making our submission.

4. Codex Alimentarius

FIVS has responded to a multitude of Codex consultations, with the work being led by the Codex Task Force (TF):

• Alcohol Labelling: Our response in April to the WHO-led Codex consultation on alcohol labelling emphasised the importance of national jurisdictions in the formulation of health policies. FIVS will defend this position at the 47^th session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) in October – a critical meeting for our sector.
• Brix Levels: Our response submitted in June cautioned Codex against lowering the minimum Brix level for grape juices from vitis labrusca to 14°Bx compared to grace juices from vitis vinifera at 16°Bx. The proposal would set a precedent within Codex for creating different standards depending on the grape vitis and also increase the risk of adulteration for grape juices.
• Codex Strategic Plan: In April FIVS reiterated the opinion that Codex should focus its work on its historical remit, the protection of the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the food trade, and that to maximise its impact it standards/decisions should be based on sound science and be evidence-based. Our response can be found here.
• Definition of Added Sugars: FIVS’ response in January supported the initiative of defining added sugars at Codex based on end levels of sugar in the final product to foster international alignment as nutritional labelling becomes more prevalent around the world.
• E-commerce: FIVS expressed support for the draft Codex guidelines on e-commerce, noting that wines should remain exempt from date markings in an e-commerce environment as currently stipulated in the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (GSLPF). Our response dating from May can be found here.
• Food Additives: FIVS supported the inclusion a number of commonly used wine additives in the Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) and advocated for the recognition of new additives. Because of FIVS collaborative efforts with the OIV and Oenoppia, the following substances were approved at the 54^th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives in 22-26 April:
  • For food category 14.2.3 (grape wines)
    • Nitrogen at step 8 (good manufacturing practices) for use as a packaging gas only;
    • Potassium polyaspartate at step 5/8 with a maximum level of 100 mg/kg;
    • Mannoproteins from yeast cell walls at step 2 with a limit of 400 mg/l;
    • Metatartaric acid at step 2 with a maximum level of 100 mg/l.

• • For food category 14.2.3.3 (Fortified grape wine, grape liqueur wine and sweet grape wine)
    • Caramel I – Plain Caramel at step 5/8 (good manufacturing practices);
    • Caramel II – Sulphite caramel at step 5/8 with a maximum limit of 50 000 mg/kg.
• Food Fraud: Codex is currently developing guidance on the prevention of food fraud – to which FIVS responded favourably in January, arguing that the guidelines will help countries prevent and manage such instances. Our response is available here.
• Recycling: In May FIVS expressed support for developing Codex guidance on food safety considerations related to the use of recycled material in food packaging, with the objective of avoiding unintentional trade barriers due to disparate national regulations. Our response is available here.
• Use of Technology: In April, FIVS expressed support for the draft Codex guidelines on the use of technology to provide food information and provided feedback to ensure that labelling rules are feasible, flexible and will stand the test of time as technology evolves.

For more information on these FIVS’ responses and to get involved in any of our working groups to contribute to FIVS’ positions please contact Laura Gelezuinas.

You can also keep up to date with developments through our committee communications platform “Basecamp” – an online tool that assists members share information and intelligence on matters of mutual interest, company and association positions and other insights. Please contact the FIVS Secretariat if you are interested in joining Basecamp.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

In 2015, all 193 United Nations (UN) Member States unanimously adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pledging to end poverty, protect the planet, and secure peace and prosperity for everyone around the world by 2030. That same year the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) was created to develop and implement the global indicator framework for the UN SDGs.

In 2024, the IAEG-SDGs launched a review of the global indicator framework for consideration at the 56^th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission in March 2025. Among the 68 proposals submitted by stakeholders in April 2024, 15 were retained by the IAEG-SDGs for further consideration by the general public. One of the proposals, submitted by the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD), concerns UN SDG 3: Good Health & Well-being, and more specifically Target 3.5 Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol.

The current indicator for this target is: Alcohol per capita consumption (aged 15 years and older) within a calendar year in litres of pure alcohol. IARD’s proposal includes the creation of two additional indicators:

1. Alcohol-related mortality and morbidity
2. Heavy episodic drinking

The addition of these two indicators would ensure consistency between the UN SDGs and the Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) Global Monitoring Framework adopted by Member States during the World Health Assembly in May 2013.

FIVS intends to respond to the public consultation by expressing support for IARD’s proposal. We would ask members to respond to Laura Gelezuinas with any views on this consultation by Tuesday 13 Augsut 2024 (end of business, Paris time).

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) has made available the 15 OIV draft resolutions at Step 7 that will be submitted for approval at the 22nd General Assembly that will take place on Friday 18 October 2024 in Dijon, France. The relevant OIV Commissions will review the resolutions prior to their being submitted for approval. We are also sharing for your information the proceedings reports of the OIV 2024 Spring Meetings which were held from Tuesday 02 April to Tuesday 09 April 2024.

Please note there is no formal written comment procedure at this stage since most substantive issues have already been addressed.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

We would like to inform you that the next FIVS Codex Alimentarius Task Force conference call has been scheduled for Wednesday 31 July 2024 at 22:30 Paris time (01 August in Australia and New Zealand). Please note that we have selected a time that should work for most FIVS participants around the world. Please consult this Time & Date Schedule in order to determine the time of the call depending on your location.

We are attaching the agenda for the call as well as the minutes of the previous meeting. For those wishing to participate, we would request that you add your name to the following sign-up list by Wednesday 31 July (noon, Paris time). Please note that the conference call details will be sent separately only to those who have signed up.

This conference call is open to all FIVS members who have an interest in Codex Alimentarius matters; please contact Laura Gelezuinas for more information about participating in this Task Force and/or joining on this call.