CAC/GL 34-1999 Guidelines for the Development of Equivalence Agreements Regarding Food Imports and Export Inspection and Certification Systems
SECTION 1 – SCOPE
1. This document provides practical guidance for governments desiring to enter into bilateral or multilateral equivalence agreements concerning food import and export inspection and certification systems. Such agreements may be binding instruments taking the form of “international agreements” under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, or they may be other less formal arrangements such as memoranda of understanding.
SECTION 2 – DEFINITIONS
Audit is a systematic and functionally independent examination to determine whether activities and related results comply with planned objectives.1
Certification is the procedure by which official certification bodies and officially recognized bodies provide written or equivalent assurance that foods or food control systems conform to requirements. Certification of food may be, as appropriate, based on a range of inspection activities which may include continuous on-line inspection, auditing of quality assurance systems, and examination of finished products.
