18) The Committee was informed of the activities of FAO and WHO which are complementary and supportive of the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission as contained in Document CX/EURO 00/3. The Committee’s attention was drawn in particular to the outcome of the FAO Conference on International Food Trade Beyond 2000 and to the recommendations contained in Annex 1 of document CX/EURO 00/2 which were of particular relevance to Codex work. The Committee was further informed of the plan to convene, in February 2001, of a JECFA session totally devoted to the evaluation of Mycotoxins. The Committee was also informed of the work initiated jointly by FAO and WHO in the field of risk assessment of microbiological hazards and on the safety assessment of foods derived from biotechnology, in response to the Commission’s request for scientific guidance in these areas.
19) The Committee noted with appreciation the steps taken by FAO and WHO to increase the transparency in the procedure for the selection of experts serving in expert committees and bodies, and in the operation of these expert committees/bodies. These steps included the signing by each expert of a “conflict of interest” declaration. The Committee encouraged both organizations to further enhance this process in order to ensure the competence and independence of experts as well as the transparency of the output.
20) The Representative of FAO informed the Committee of the outcome of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe held in Porto, Portugal, in July 2000 and which included a Ministerial Round Table Discussion on Food Safety in Europe and two substantive agenda items, one on Food Safety as related to Organic Foods and the other on Food Safety as related to Animal Feeding. He informed the meeting, in particular, of the Conference’s endorsement of the proposal made by the Government of the Netherlands to organize, in 2001, jointly with FAO and in collaboration with WHO and the European Commission, a Pan-European Conference on Food Safety.
21) The Delegation of the Netherlands confirmed that Government’s commitment to work with FAO, other concerned organizations and member countries of the region in organizing this event. The Committee welcomed the initiative by the Government of the Netherlands and FAO as an important step to further strengthen food safety in the region as a whole and increase the collaboration in this field between EU and non-EU countries of the region.
22) The Representative of WHO informed the Committee that in May 2000 the World Health Assembly (WHA), the governing body of WHO, identified food safety as one of its priority areas in public health. The WHA adopted a resolution that, among others, recommended Member States to consider food safety as an essential public health function and requested WHO to increase WHO’s involvement and support to the work of the CAC with close collaboration with FAO. The Committee welcomed the decision taken by the WHA and stressed that cooperation between FAO and WHO was essential.
23) The Committee was informed of FAO actions in Central and Eastern Europe to provide support to food security in the low-income food deficit countries (Albania; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; FYR Macedonia; Georgia; and Moldova); rebuild agriculture in countries affected by war under the Stability Pact for the Balkans (Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Yugoslavia and FYR of Macedonia) and to provide support to the countries of the region in their process of accession to the European Union (Bulgaria; Czech Republic; Estonia; Hungary; Latvia; Lithuania; Malta; Poland; Romania; Slovak Republic, Slovenia; and Turkey). Activities since the last session included technical assistance in the area of General Principles of Food Hygiene and application of hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) through a Training of Trainers Course held in Latvia in May-June 1999 and workshops at regional and national level. To date, small teams of trainers have been trained in seven CEECs. Support has also been provided to training workshops for members of the food composition data network, CEECFOODS, including for development of computer software related to data management.
24) Support was provided for workshops to strengthen Codex Contact Points in the region and to promote the establishment of National Codex Committees and National FAO Committees toward improving and increasing participation in Codex and other FAO activities. Under the FAO Umbrella Programme for Training on Uruguay Round Follow-up and Multilateral Trade Negotiations on Agriculture, two sub-regional training courses were held in Prague, Czech Republic in October 1999 and January 2000 for the benefit of a total of 130 participants from 24 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The programme included presentations and discussions on Codex and its role in the implementation of SPS and TBT Agreements in the area of food quality, safety and international trade. Technical Cooperation Projects have been completed or are underway in several countries related to modernizing and updating food control systems, food laboratory management and harmonization of national food standards with international requirements.
25) The Delegation of the Slovak Republic informed the Committee that the 4th Food Data Conference would take place in Bratislava in August 2001, immediately preceding the World Nutrition Congress to be held in Vienna.
26) The Regional Adviser for WHO/Europe reported that in September 2000 the WHO Regional Committee for Europe also adopted a resolution that endorsed future activities of the WHO/EURO Regional Office in the development/preparation of National Food and Nutrition Action Plans. The preparation of the resolution had started in 1998 when the Standing Committee of the WHO Regional Committee (SCRC) expressed concern over the low profile of food safety and nutrition within the Region and asked the Regional Director to assist Member States in placing Food Safety and Nutrition at the centre of the public health agenda.
27) The resolution adopted stressed the need to develop national food and nutrition policies which protect and promote health and reduce the burden of food related diseases, while contributing to the socio-economic development and a sustainable environment. It also emphasized the complementary role played by different sectors in formulation and implementation of such policies and provided a framework with which Member States could begin to address the issue.
28) The Regional Adviser recalled that since most of the problems arose partly from the lack of coordination between all stakeholders involved (both at national and regional level) and the best results had been achieved in those countries where coordination bodies already existed, the WHO Regional Committee recommended that Member States establish national Food Safety Councils/Committee with the aim to link and coordinate national food safety, nutrition and sustainable food supply strategies. Furthermore, it recommended to the WHO/EURO Office to promote and facilitate the establishment of a European Food and Nutrition Task Force to facilitate coordination between Member States, relevant UN agencies (e.g. WHO, FAO, UNICEF), the EU, the Council of Europe, and other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.
29) The Committee expressed its appreciation to FAO and WHO for the activities undertaken in support of Codex and for the technical assistance provided to Member countries of the Region to strengthen their food control systems and to activities including the establishment and/or strengthening of Codex Contact Points or National Codex Committees.
30) The Delegation of Spain expressed concern over the activities undertaken by international organizations other than FAO and WHO and Codex, in the field of food safety, and indicated that this constituted not only a duplication of effort, but could also undermine the work of Codex, while inviting FAO and WHO to take care to avoid possible duplication in their work.
