International

Photographs from Codex meeting Sept. 7-10, 2004

Opening ceremony with speech by the Commissioner of KFDA (Korea Food and Drug Administration)

Delegates from Japan Offspring Fund and Mr. Junichi Kowaka (second from right)

Report from Codex meeting Sept. 7-10, 2004

IACFO (International Association of Consumer Food Organization) participated at the 14th Codex Coordinating Committee meting for Asia, held in Jeju, South Korea on Sept. 7-10, 2004. Our delegation consisted of seven consumer experts. Totally, 79 delegates from 17 Asian countries were present, together with 21 observers. The meeting was focusing on issues that are of interest to consumers in Asia, such as standards for certain locally produced foods.

Day 1

1) Ginseng

A standard for foods made of ginseng was discussed. Some delegates had concerns about the safety of such foods, which can be considered as food supplements according to some countries. The Korean draft standard was discussed in detail and could be sent to Step 5 of the Codex document process.

IACFO raised the concern that certain ginseng products have been found to be irradiated. Consumers generally do not accept food irradiation, and if such technology is applied, ginseng products should be labelled. In particular, in 2002, the UK Food Standards Agency found a number of irradiated ginseng products on the market that were not labelled (For more details, see http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk). The chairman pointed out that since there is a Codex standard that specifies that irradiated foods should be labelled, there was no need to include this in the current document regarding ginseng. However, we felt it was useful to show consumers' concerns about food irradiation, and also to raise the issue so that more governments will take precautions regarding the use of irradiation. Also, a Korean delegate told us privately that he did not know that ginseng products were being irradiated!

2) Traceability

There was a short but interesting discussion about traceability. India and Thailand expressed the view that while traceability could be useful for food safety, it should not apply to primary products, and only apply to processed foods. However, Japan already applies traceability to processed meat products due to the risks of BSE. The delegate from Japan was supported by Korea, to suggest that all foods should be covered by such standards. This could easily turn into a north-south issue, as developing countries feel traceability could be a trade barrier.

IACFO took the floor to point out that traceability is important for consumers, who need to know how the food has been produced and where it comes from. Also, primary foods such as vegetables should be covered. We supported the Japanese position and the discussion will continue. The chair and others from FAO and WHO are also eager to encourage capacity building efforts to further explore the issue of traceability. IACFO really encourages developing countries to understand that traceability is not intended as a trade barrier, but rather a important tool to make sure that food is safe.

(Reported by M. Frid)