How much cocoa makes
chocolate?
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Amazon cacao
FAO photo 18534
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A recent Codex Alimentarius Committee meeting on Cocoa
Products and Chocolate held in Berne, Switzerland, was
unable to agree on introducing up to five percent of
vegetable fats into chocolate-based products. Cocoa
producers led by Côte d'Ivoire, opposed the measure,
claiming that such a step would damage them economically.
They called for a reliable method of detection as an
essential prerequisite for the introduction of such a rule.
Other delegations were in favour of allowing the addition of
vegetable fats to the amount of five percent for the
development of new products to enhance consumption of
chocolate, and therefore also cocoa beans.
The Committee noted that there were some encouraging
signs of starting a dialogue between cocoa-producing
countries and the chocolate industry in order to reach a
compromise on this subject. The decision on making chocolate
with less cocoa butter is now postponed to the next Codex
meeting to be held in 2001.
Go to the Codex
Alimentarius Commission website
22 December 1998
New Desert Locust Bulletin
The latest FAO Desert Locust Bulletin covering locust
activity in November and giving a forecast until mid-January
1999, reports that the "situation remained calm in most
countries during November". Control operations were
necessary in the Sudan and small numbers of adult locusts
began to appear on both sides of the Red Sea, where breeding
is expected to continue. Regular surveys and reports are
recommended in these areas. Adults and remnants of a swarm
appeared in southern Algeria from northern Mali. The
Bulletin includes a
map.
11 December 1998
Intergovernmental meeting on
fibres
A Joint Meeting of the Intergovernmental Group (IGG) on
Hard Fibres and the IGG on Jute, Kenaf and Allied Fibres was
held at FAO headquarters in Rome from 7 to 9 December. The
meeting looked at market developments for sisal, henequen,
abaca, coir, jute and kenaf, and the short- and medium term
outlook for these fibres. Natural fibres like jute and sisal
have lost out to synthetics such as polypropylene and are
expected to continue to do so. A report on the implications
of jute production and exports on food security in
Bangladesh was also on the agenda.
11 December 1998
FAO Council meets in Rome 23 to 28
November
The 115th Session of the FAO Council is meeting from 23
to 28 November at headquarters in Rome. The Council, made up
of representatives from 49 of the Organization's member
countries, is the executive organ of the Conference, FAO's
supreme governing body.
Items on the agenda include a review of the world food
and agriculture situation as well as financial,
constitutional and legal matters. "The State of Food and
Agriculture 1998" - FAO's annual flagship report analysing
global and regional developments in food and agriculture -
is scheduled to be released and discussed during the Council
session.
Other agenda items include reports on the follow-up to
the World Food Summit and negotiation on the international
undertaking on plant genetic resources. The Council will
also set a date for nominations for the office of
Director-General of FAO. The term of office of the
Organization's current leader, Dr Jacques Diouf, expires 31
December 1999.
26 November 1998
FAO's Special Relief Operations
Service plans aid to flood-stricken in the Sudan
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Submerged
sorghum and date palm in the Sudan
FAO /20925/J. Breen
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Extensive flooding throughout the Sudan in September is
reported to have affected over one million people in the
country. Even before the floods hit, much of southern Sudan
was struggling to recover from food emergencies caused by
continuing civil strife and a poor 1997 harvest.
The recent flooding has left some 100 000 persons
homeless and has submerged or destroyed vast areas of
cultivated land. FAO has estimated the immediate needs for
agricultural recovery at US$2 800 000. The
Organization's Special Relief Operations Service (TCOR)
plans to help affected populations through technical
assistance projects, including: repair to small irrigation
pumps, emergency desilting of irrigation canals, provision
of wheat, bean, fodder and vegetable seeds, and emergency
preparation of nurseries to replace date palm and citrus
trees lost in the floods.
26 November 1998
Members of the world's parliaments
meet in Rome
Over 130 parliamentarians from 62 countries will meet in
Rome from 29 November to 2 December to provide further
support to the commitments of the World
Food Summit in combating hunger and malnutrition.
One of the major objectives to which countries pledged
their commitment at the close of the Summit in 1996 was to
reduce the number of undernourished people in the world from
800 million in 1996 to 400 million or less by the year
2015.
The visiting parliamentarians will hold a specialized
Inter-Parliamentary Conference on "Attaining the World Food
Summit's objectives through a sustainable development
strategy". The Conference is organized by the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) with the collaboration of
FAO and the Italian Parliament, and the contribution of
Italy's Foreign Ministry.
17 November 1998
Intergovernmental meetings on meat and
hides and skins in South Africa
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Skins are hung
out to dry after flaying and washing
FAO/17516/R. Faidutti
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The Intergovernmental Group on Meat held its 17th session
in Cape Town, South Africa from 12 to 14 November. The group
brought together experts from around the world to review the
current world meat situation, look at the short-term outlook
and consider medium-term projections for meat to 2005. Other
major items on the agenda included developments in
biotechnology and their potential impact on the livestock
and meat sectors. Click here for meeting
papers.
A Sub-Group on Hides and Skins met immediately before the
Meat group, also in Cape Town. Delegates reviewed the
current market situation and assessed short-term prospects
for supply, demand and trade of hides and skins and their
derived products. A new edition of the World Statistical
Compendium for Raw Hides and Skins, Leather and Leather
Footwear was presented at the meeting. Click here for
meeting
papers.
17 November 1998
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