2. Mr. Thomas J. Billy, Vice-Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, introduced Dr. Catherine Woteki, Under-Secretary for Food Safety, USDA, who welcomed the participants and stressed the importance of the work being carried out by the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene in furthering international harmonization of food standards, particularly in the context of the SPS Agreement of WTO.
The Committee was addressed by Mr. Michael R. Taylor, formerly U.S. Food and Drug Administration and USDA, and currently a visiting scholar in the Center for Risk Management at Resources for the Future. He gave a speech entitled "Trade, Food Safety, and the Role of Codex", stressing that scientifically sound and public-health oriented food safety standards were crucial in promoting the welfare of consumers.
4. The Committee appointed Mr. Peter Pauker, Canada, as rapporteur.
