The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced an April 7, 2010, public meeting to discuss draft U.S. positions for the 38th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) slated for May 3-7, 2010, in Quebec City, Canada. Issues to be discussed include (i) “Labeling Provisions in Draft Codex Standards”; (ii) “Implementation of the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health,” which includes consideration of the “List of Nutrients That Are Always Declared on a Voluntary or Mandatory Basis,” and the legibility and readability of nutrition labeling; (iii) “Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labeling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods”; (iv) “Labeling of Foods and Food Ingredients Obtained through Certain Techniques of Genetic Modification/ Genetic Engineering”; and (v) “Discussion Paper on the Need to Amend the General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods in Line with the International Organization of…
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a March 23, 2010, public meeting to discuss draft U.S. positions for the 26th Session of the Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP) slated for April 12-16, 2010, in Paris, France. Issues to be discussed include (i) “Draft Revised Code of Ethics for International Trade in Foods”; (ii) “Review of the Risk Analysis Policies of Codex Committees”; (iii) “Definition of the Term ‘Competent Authority’”; and (iv) “Discussion Paper on the Development of Joint Codex and World Organization for Animal Health Standards.” FSIS has also announced a March 29, 2010, public meeting to discuss draft U.S. positions for the 4th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) slated for April 26-30, 2010, in Izmir, Turkey. Agenda items include proposed draft maximum levels for melamine in food and feed and a priority list of contaminants and…
During a recent meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Commission’s Committee on Milk and Milk Products, delegates reportedly agreed to recommend that the commission revoke the international standards on processed cheese when it meets in July 2010. A committee working group had been charged with redrafting a proposed standard for processed cheese and reported that it was unable to do so given the delegations that “continued to insist on textual solutions reflecting closely their own national situation, which did not attract consensus.” According to the working group’s co-chairs, “the fundamental difficulty with attempting to develop this standard arises from the requirement for the standard to address the very large variety of products marketed as processed cheese, while retaining scope for innovation.” A representative of the International Dairy Foods Association, speaking on behalf of the U.S. representatives to the committee reportedly said, “The U.S. government and dairy industry have long believed that…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration have announced a February 8, 2010, public meeting to discuss draft U.S. positions for the 42nd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) slated for March 15-19, 2010, in Beijing, China. Co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the meeting will include discussions concerning (i) “endorsement and/or revision of maximum levels for food additives and processing aids in [C]odex standards”; (ii) “draft and proposed draft food additive provisions of the General Standards for Food Additives (GSFA)”; (iii) “proposals for changes or additions to the International Numbering System (INS) for food additives”; (iv) “identification of problems and recommendations related to the inconsistent presentation of food additives provisions in Codex commodity standards; and (v) “the Codex standard for food grade salt.” See Federal Register, January 28, 2010.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Food Safety and the Agricultural Marketing Service have announced a January 13, 2010, public meeting in Washington, D.C., to provide information and receive comments on draft U.S. positions to be discussed at the 9th Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP) February 1-5 in Auckland, New Zealand. Agenda items include discussion of the draft amendment to the fermented milks standard, draft standard for processed cheese and purported inconsistencies in food additive provisions. See Federal Register, January 8, 2010.
According to a researcher with a non-profit think tank that focuses on curbing “globalization,” the Codex Alimentarius Commission is controlled by corporate interests and thus poses a threat to consumer health and fair trade practices in the food market. According to Stephen Lendman of the Montreal-based Centre for Research on Globalization, genetically modified (GMO) foods and drugs will proliferate under the commission’s standards and guidelines, labeling will be banned and industry will determine “what will and won’t be sold.” The article explains how the commission is organized and operates and argues that World Trade Organization member nations are legally bound to adopt the commission’s standards to the detriment of consumer choice and health. Lendman contends that Codex standards will become “globally mandated” at the end of 2009 in the absence of any legal challenges. According to Lendman, this means that “[c]ommon foods, herbs, nutrients, amino acids, homeopathic and other natural remedies…
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of Agriculture and Office of the Acting Secretary for Food Safety have announced a public meeting to address an upcoming session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the international food standards body established by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization. Slated for October 8, 2009, the meeting will consider U.S. draft positions pertaining to the 31st Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) to be held November 2-6 in Dusseldorf, Germany. CCNFSDU studies nutritional problems and advises the Codex on general nutritional issues; drafts general provisions concerning the nutritional aspects of all foods; develops standards, guidelines and related texts pertaining to foods for special dietary uses; and considers provisions on nutritional aspects proposed for inclusion in Codex standards. The U.S. agencies will also hold a working group on October…
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Office of the Acting Secretary for Food Safety have announced two public meetings to address upcoming sessions of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the international food standards body established by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization. Slated for September 2, 2009, the first meeting will consider U.S. draft positions pertaining to the 30th Session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP) to be held September 29-October 2 in Agadir, Morocco. The second public meeting is scheduled for September 17, when the agencies will discuss the 15th Session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV) to be held October 19-23 in Mexico City, Mexico. Both Codex committees set international standards, codes and other texts related to the preparation, labeling and marketing of their respective products. See the…
During a recent week-long meeting in Rome, Italy, the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) adopted more than 30 standards and guidelines designed to protect consumers’ health, such as cutting the levels of potential cancer-causing chemicals and bacteria in foods. Among the rules adopted by the joint body of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization were measures to reduce acrylamide, a chemical by-product of high-temperature cooking processes that has allegedly been linked to cancer. “Applying Codex standards and guidelines are an important part of ensuring that consumers in every part of the world can be protected from unsafe food,” an FAO spokesperson was quoted as saying. CAC also adopted criteria for Salmonella and other bacteria in powdered formula for children ages 6 months and older and microbiological testing parameters aimed at helping producers control and prevent contamination of ready-to-eat foods with Listeria. See Reuters; FoodNavigator-USA.com, July…
The Office of the Acting Deputy Undersecretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have announced a public meeting on April 29, 2009, to discuss draft U.S. positions for the 18th Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) slated for May 11-15, 2009, in Natal, Brazil. CCRVDF works to (i) establish “priorities for the consideration of residues of veterinary drugs in foods”; (ii) “recommend maximum levels of such substances”; (iii) “develop codes of practice as may be required”; and (iv) consider methods of sampling and analysis for the determination of veterinary drug residues in foods.” The session will include agenda items related to (i) the “registration of veterinary medicinal products”; (ii) “draft guidelines for the design and implementation of national regulatory food safety assurance programs”; and (iii) a “draft priority list of veterinary drugs requiring evaluation or reevaluation.”…
