The development of a standard for Korean Insam, otherwise known as Ginseng, was agreed at a recent meeting of the Codex Executive Committee in Geneva. The decision follows proposals by the Codex Committee on Processed Fruit and Vegetables (CCPFV) under the impulse of the Korean delegation. The Codex Standard is intended to ensure the quality of Korean ginseng on the market and to set rules relating to raw materials, additives and other specifications.

The draft standard prepared by the Korean delegation will now be discussed at the next meeting of the CCPFV in September 2002. A number of IADSA associations are involved in the process of evaluating the acceptability of the standard.