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30 June 2003, Rome -- The Codex
Alimentarius Commission opened its 26th session today with
representatives from 169 countries coming together to decide on
the adoption of a number of controversial new food safety
standards designed to safeguard the health of consumers
worldwide, while improving global agricultural trade
opportunities.
Codex is a joint Commission
of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World
Health Organisation (WHO) that sets food safety and agricultural
trade standards. Standards up for adoption by the Commission
include the establishment of methods to assess the risk of foods
derived from biotechnology and a standard that would allow
increased levels of radiation to be used in food irradiation, a
process that delays food spoilage and increases shelf life.
Noting the expansion in world trade, FAO
Director-General Jacques Diouf, in remarks delivered by FAO
Deputy Director-General David Harcharik at the opening session
of the Commission, said that the increase of food trade,
especially of processed foods, was not limited to developed
countries, "but can be observed in many developing
countries as well." Today, because of trade, there is a
wider variety of foods available on the market than at any time
in history.
"The increase in the
volume and in the variety of foods inevitably creates a demand
for food standards that ensure fair trade practices across all
countries and regions of the world," Dr. Diouf said,
adding that "increased foreign investment in food
manufacturing industries and food distribution and retail
industries also creates situations where harmonized food
standards are desired among the regions in the world."
Dr. Diouf said, "Today, the
expectations of governments for the Codex Alimentarius
Commission to achieve its two major mandates, protection of
consumer health and assurance of fair practices in food trade is
higher than ever before and we anticipate that this will only
become stronger in the future."
Noting that "food safety is not a luxury of
the rich, but a right of all people," Dr. Diouf
stressed the critical importance of capacity building and
investment in developing countries' food control systems,
both for the protection of their consumers and to facilitate
international trade.
WHO Director-General
Gro Harlem Brundtland, in remarks video-taped for the Codex
meeting, said: "We have to recognize that food can
never be defined as completely safe." However,
"the risks can be reduced through routine food safety
work that must be carried out every day. This means countless
men and women working diligently to protect human health
throughout the food chain."
Dr.
Brundtland said the World Health Assembly, WHO's governing
body, urged its member states to "make full use of
Codex standards for the protection of human health throughout
the food chain, including assistance with making healthy
nutrition and diet choices. She said WHO was also asked
"to help developing countries strengthen their capacity
in all areas of food safety," adding that countries
need to be prepared to develop positions based on sound
scientific evidence.
Earlier this year WHO
and FAO launched a Trust Fund to help developing countries that
need financial assistance to increase their participation in
Codex.
During its 26th Session, the
Commission is expected to adopt standards that improve food
safety, including one for levels of radiation that may be used
in food irradiation. In response to concerns about meat
consumption and consumer safety in the wake of problems such as
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (mad cow disease), some of the
standards before the Commission would establish principles of
meat hygiene, a code of practice on good animal feeding,
including feed additives and maximum residue limits in food
products for veterinary drugs. There is also a code of practice
on the prevention of patulin contamination in apple juice, a
code of practice for the prevention of mycotoxin contamination
in cereals and one for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Also expected to be adopted are guidelines for
assessing the food safety risks associated with foods derived
from biotechnology. These include broad general principles
covering issues such as pre-market safety evaluations and the
role of product tracing for food safety and post-market
monitoring. Separate detailed guidelines have been prepared for
the scientific assessments of DNA-modified plants and foods and
beverages derived from DNA-modified micro-organisms. Special
attention has been paid to the question of assessing whether
such products could provoke unexpected allergies in consumers.
In addition to food safety issues, Codex
will consider the adoption of new standards that will clearly
define many food items, including chocolate and chocolate
products and when the use of term "chocolate"
is allowed. If adopted, the new standard will require a
declaration of minimum cocoa content for all chocolate flavoured
products.
Other standards will define
quality standards for anchovies, limes, pommelos and
grapefruits. Olive oils and olive pomace as well as other named
vegetable oils also have quality standards up for adoption by
Codex. There is also a draft standard before Codex defining
canned bamboo shoots, liquid coconut products, such as coconut
milk and coconut cream, fruit juices and nectars, cream and
prepared cream and fermented milk products, such as yoghurt and
cheese.
The Commission will also discuss
proposals to overhaul its own structures and procedures so that
food standards can be developed more rapidly at the
international level with an increased focus on the health of
consumers and with greater active participation by developing
countries. The practical initiation of a mechanism for the
Trust Fund to enable increased participation of developing
countries in the standard setting process is also on the agenda.
The Commission meeting runs through 7
July.
Contact:
John Riddle
FAO News Service
John.Riddle@fao.org
(+39) 06 570 53259
Mobile: (+39) 348 257 2921
or
Mr.
Gregory Hartl
WHO Media Advisor
hartlg@who.int
Geneva: (+41) 22 791 4458
Mobile from 29 June: (+41) 79 203 6715
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