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| Agenda Item 6.1 | Conference Room Document 22 English only |
second fao/who global forum of food safety regulators
Bangkok, Thailand, 12-14 October 2004
(Prepared by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division)
1. Since 1964, the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture has been in a unique position to promote the mandates of both FAO in its efforts to eliminate world hunger and poverty through sustainable agricultural development, improved nutrition and food security and the IAEA through peaceful uses of atomic energy to accelerate and expand the contributions of these technologies to health and prosperity worldwide.
2. The Joint Division’s mission is to strengthen capacities for the use of nuclear methods to improve technologies for sustainable food security and to disseminate these techniques through international activities in research, training and outreach in its Member States. The Joint Division is subdivided into five Sections with activities related to sub-programmes addressing crop production systems, livestock production systems and strengthening compliance with food and environmental safety standards. The FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory also plays a key role in supporting the Joint FAO/IAEA programme, especially as related to strengthening official food safety control services.
3. The Food and Environmental Protection Section of the Joint Division and its associated FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory provide food safety related assistance in four main areas, namely, coordination and support in research, providing technical and advisory services, providing laboratory support and training and collecting, analysing and disseminating information, primarily in areas related to food irradiation, pesticide and veterinary drug residues and radioactive contamination of foodstuffs.
4. Approximately 600 research institutions and experimental stations from IAEA Member States participate in over forty Coordinated Research Projects (CRP). Each project attempts to solve practical problems of economic significance for developing countries and involves collaboration among institutions, including those belonging to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Institutions in developing countries are normally provided with research contracts that include nominal financial support whereas those in more developed countries participate through research agreements and attendance at Research Coordination Meetings. These projects, which normally span five years, result in the formal publication of the research findings that help to identify further development assistance needs.
5. The Joint FAO/IAEA Division is currently responsible for providing scientific and technical support for over 200 national and regional Technical Co-operation Projects, as well as for inter-regional and regional Training Courses, channelled to recipient countries for the purpose of providing equipment, expert advice and training. These projects are financed by IAEA's Technical Cooperation Fund and FAO's Technical Cooperation Programme and through trust funds provided by donor countries and international funding agencies.
6. The FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory specializes in research, development and transfer of nuclear methods in soil science, plant breeding, animal production and health, entomology and food contaminants control. The laboratory provides a broad range of specialized services and training of scientists through individual fellowships and inter-regional and group training courses in various disciplines. It also provides guidance on the introduction of analytical quality control and assurance into counterpart laboratories and training in the maintenance of laboratory equipment and instruments.
7. With the aim of enhancing the transfer of skills and technology, the Joint FAO/IAEA Division provides a variety of information services. These include conferences, symposia, seminars and advisory group panels as well as the publication of technical and public information documents based on the results of these meetings and other research coordination and technical cooperation events.
8. The Joint FAO/IAEA Division, including the Food and Environmental Protection Section and FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, have also provided direct support to the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission in its standardization efforts to enhance food safety and food quality as well as the protection of consumers and the promotion of trade in food and agricultural products.
9. Since the establishment of the Food and Environmental Protection Section, significant progress has been made in the use of ionizing radiation as a sanitary and phytosanitary measure worldwide. At present, more than 40 countries are applying this technology to a wide variety of food products and agricultural commodities. The technology has been proven safe through more than 50 years of research and application. Irradiation is unique in ensuring the hygienic quality of foods, particularly in foods of animal origin.
10. These efforts have culminated in the finalization of international standards for irradiated foods under the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission and for phytosanitary treatments under the FAO Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM).
11. One of the critical areas related to food safety is the over-use of agrochemicals. Nuclear related analytical techniques are valuable for investigating the fate and stability of pesticides and other contaminants in a wide variety of food and environmental samples. Efforts of the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory and specifically, the FAO/IAEA Training and Reference Centre, have become the basis for national and international standards and guidelines, including those elaborated by Codex Alimentarius Commission.
12. An increase in the use of veterinary drugs, including growth promoters, is a predictable consequence of expanded animal production efforts. There is an increasing consumer food safety concern associated with the abuse of veterinary drugs which in turn leads to a “clampdown” by regulatory agencies worldwide. Veterinary drug residue monitoring is a part of the Food and Environmental Protection Section, specifically in providing information, reference standards and practical technology in order to help member countries meet international standards for residues of veterinary drugs in meat and meat products related to consumer protection and facilitation of trade.
13. Nuclear related accidents and radiological events often result in detrimental effects on human health as well as environmental effects in agriculture and foods. The Joint Division provides technical assistance and advice on emergency preparedness and response to these events, including the application of appropriate agricultural countermeasures.
14. The Food and Environmental Protection Section maintains important databases related to foods, including the International Food Contaminant and Residue Information System (INFOCRIS). This is an interactive database on food and environmental contaminants that focuses on Codex standards and information on the incidence of food trade detentions from contaminants and residues.
15. Information related to irradiation is also included under the Food and Environmental Protection website, including a list of levels/products commonly irradiated, a list of authorized irradiation facilities and information about technical aspects of food irradiation processing.
16. The future activities of the Joint Division related to food safety and food control will primarily focus on strengthening Member State capacities for implementing international standards on food irradiation as well as the use of nuclear and related analytical techniques to improve food safety. This will include a coordinated comprehensive “farm to fork” approach to food production systems in the following areas:
17. This objective will be addressed through the development and adoption of basic principles and indicators for on farm production and post harvest handling and processing of food and agricultural products i.e. Good Agricultural Practices, that reduce the risks to food safety and the environment from chemical, microbiological and radionuclide contamination and in assisting countries and farmers to prepare for and effectively respond to nuclear or radiological emergencies.
18. Irradiation is a proven and effective post harvest method to reduce food borne pathogens in foods and for the control of insect pests, including pests of quarantine importance, in agriculture commodities. In 2003, the revised Codex Standard for Irradiated Foods and the revised Codex Code of Practice for Radiation Processing of Food were adopted as final texts by the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. The Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures also adopted Guidelines for the Use of Irradiation as a Phytosanitary Measure under the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures series.
19. The IAEA is also collaborating with the Codex Alimentarius Commission in revising the Codex Guidelines Levels for Radionuclides in Foods for Use in International Trade in order to expand the list of radioisotopes for which the Guideline levels apply and to make them applicable for more than one year after a nuclear or radiological event.
20. The above objective will be met through activities related to providing technical support to the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the International Plant Protection in the further elaboration and finalization of international standards; training of personnel in the application of international standards related to irradiation for sanitary and phytosanitary purposes; the expansion and updating of web based resources and databases, and; the promotion of additional research and provision of additional training in these areas.
21. The use of agrochemicals (e.g. pesticides and veterinary drugs) in crop and livestock production systems has contributed substantially to world supplies of food and agricultural production but also raised concerns about risks to human health and the environment and created barriers to international trade in agricultural commodities. The presence of radionuclides and mycotoxins raises similar concerns. Relying on regulations and end product testing of contaminants and residues in food and agricultural products and of soil and water samples is costly, is extremely challenging for many developing countries due to its complexity, and does not necessarily ensure the safety of foods or protection of the environment.
22. Approaches now being increasingly promulgated by government authorities, food processors, retailers and farmer groups include the development, adoption and monitoring of compliance with codes of practice and indicators of good agricultural practices (GAP). These aim to limit the introduction of hazards at source and place emphasis on applying agrochemicals in amounts and timing appropriate to agronomic, food safety and environmental requirements, including withholding periods.
23. Irrespective of the approach adopted, laboratories and trained staff capable of establishing reliable sampling and analytical regimes for quantifying potential hazards within specific production practices or in products are indispensable for informing and improving decision making for improving food safety and environmental protection.
24. This objective will be met through the development of principles, indicators and guidelines for agricultural practices that promote food safety and quality, particularly for fruits and vegetables. In this regard, close linkages will be fostered with other Joint Division activities addressing integrated pest management involving sterile insect techniques (SIT) for the control of insect pests impacting on fruit and vegetable production.
25. Additional activities will address increasing demand for meat, milk and dairy products and the associated increased use of veterinary drugs within livestock production systems that can increase potential risks from the misuse of veterinary drugs, including exceeding maximum residue limits. To help decrease these risks, countries need assistance for the application of appropriate animal production technologies based on internationally accepted standards and guidelines.
26. Specific activities related to these objectives include technical inputs to the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues; adaptation and validation of screening and confirmatory methodologies for residues and contaminants, including for the measurement of radionuclide levels in foods; training of trainers and auditors in the application of GAP for meeting compliance with maximum residue limits for pesticides and veterinary drugs; establishment of a web based decision support system for the application of agricultural countermeasures and training of personnel in improved preparedness and response to nuclear or radiological events; creation of distance learning modules and other web based programmes on sampling and analysis of food products for pesticides and veterinary drugs, and; the promotion of additional research and provision of additional training in these areas.
For further information please contact:
Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture
Wagramer Strasse 5
P.O. Box 100
A-1400 Vienna, Austria
Telephone: (+43 1) 2600
Facsimile: (+43 1) 26007
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.iaea.org/nafa/dx/emergency/index.html