Food safety a right of all people, top UN official tells meeting on food standards

Food safety is not a luxury of the rich, but a right of all people, a top UN official today told representatives from 169 countries gathered in Rome, Italy, to consider the adoption of new standards to safeguard the health of consumers worldwide, while improving global agricultural trade opportunities.

UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General Jacques Diouf – in remarks delivered by his deputy, David Harcharik, at the opening of the 26th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission – said the increase in volume and variety of foods inevitably creates a demand for standards that ensure fair trade practices across all countries and regions of the world.

“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,” he added.

FAO and the UN World Health Organization (WHO) established the Commission in 1962 to set safety standards and ensure fair practices in food trade.

“We have to recognize that food can never be defined as completely safe,” WHO Director-General Gro Brundtland said in video-taped remarks to the meeting. “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.”

During the session – running until 7 July – the Commission is expected to adopt standards for levels of radiation that may be used in food irradiation, guidelines for assessing the food safety risks associated with foods derived from biotechnology among other things. In addition to food safety issues, Codex will consider the adoption of new standards that will clearly define many food items.