FAO and WHO are convening a Joint Expert Consultation on the Safety Assessment of Food Derived from Biotechnology. The consultation aims to provide scientific advice and information on issues related to the conducting of food safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA animals.

While recognizing the useful outcome of the FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on the Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Genetically Modified Animals including Fish (convened in November 2003), FAO and WHO are keen to ensure that the 2007 consultation addresses issues which are directly related to the work that is being (or will be undertaken) by the Codex Ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology (TFFDBT).

At its 5 th Session, the TFFDBT agreed to start new work (subsequently approved by the 29th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission), to elaborate a Guideline for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Animals.

In the course of the elaboration of the preliminary draft Proposed Guideline undertaken by a working group established by the TFFDBT, several questions have been raised in relation to:

• The development and use of marker and reporter genes; and
• The non-heritable applications of recombinant DNA techniques to the production of animals.

FAO and WHO expect that the 2007 consultation will address these matters and final decisions from the 6th Session of the TFFDBT, which took place in November 2006, on which questions should be forwarded to FAO and WHO for scientific advice.