IMPLEMENTATION OF RISK ANALYSIS IN THE REGION (Agenda Item 8)[22]

Reports of countries
Discussion by the Committee

67. The Committee recalled that it had had this item since its 10th Session and that at the last session a proposal was made to exchange regularly information and experiences in implementing risk analysis as well as information on technical assistance in this area among Member countries.

68. The Committee noted that there were three recommendations of the Commission addressed to governments regarding: active participation of governments in Codex work and involvement of all interested parties, to the extent possible, in the formulation of national positions on a Codex matter; ensuring transparency and consideration of opinions of consumer and private sectors; and incorporation of risk analysis principles when establishing or updating national legislation on food safety.

Reports of countries

Japan[23]

69. As follow-up activities to the recommendations of the 10th session of the Committee concerning risk analysis relevant to Asia, we established a working group on the Dietary Intake Survey Method in Asia and conducted a questionnaire survey to collect information of the current situations, problems and future plans for the food safety monitoring from the Member countries. Of eight countries that responded to two questionnaires, seven countries have conducted the government initiated nation-wide nutritional survey. However, only one country has utilized the nutritional survey data for estimating exposure of food contaminants, such as pesticide residues, and food additives. Difficulties and constraints faced with existing nutritional surveys which were pointed out were: 1) insufficient expertise in data collection, processing and analysis, 2) lack of manpower especially for data processing and analysis, 3) limitations with the present survey methods, 4) lack of enough funds. Three countries expressed necessity and importance of exchanging information and experiences among member countries. One country pointed out the necessity of continuous collaborative work for the purpose of harmonizing dietary survey methods in Asia through seminars or workshops specifically on methodological issues of dietary survey.

70. Japan has started to develop a system to assess food contaminants exposure by combining the National Nutrition Survey data and some other information sources of food consumption and responded to the request from the Codex committee on Pesticide Residues by submitting a database of 97.5 percentile daily intake of foods based on Codex food classifications for acute hazard exposure assessment. In the process of this work, we found that technical support from research institute is essential because the data handling and analytical methods are very complicated and different from those in usual nutritional surveys. And we found difficulties to re-classify each food item into the Codex food classifications because many major foods consumed in Japan do not match with commodities in the Codex food classification. To overcome such constraints we strongly feel the necessity for further study to develop methodological matters especially for food classification to utilize the dietary survey data to assess exposure of the food contaminants and for exchanging such technical experience among the member countries.

Malaysia

71. Malaysia has recently established the National Committee on Risk Analysis and 5 National Sub-Committee on Biological Assessment, Food Additives, Contaminants, Veterinary Drug Residues and Pesticide Residues, and Risk Communication. As an initial step, efforts are being undertaken to collate data from various sources at the national level.

72. Recently, an ASEAN Seminar and Workshop on Risk Assessment and Harmonization organized by ILSI and FAO in cooperation with the Ministry of Health Malaysia was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 3-5 November, 1999. The objectives of the seminar and workshop were to disseminate information on the use of risk analysis principles in risk-based food safety decision making, to emphasize and highlight the existing information and data sources for use in risk analysis process, to familiarize participants with the process of risk safety assessment through hands-on interactive case studies and to facilitate dialogue among the regulators from ASEAN Member Countries to bring food control standards into harmonization with Codex Standards. The workshop made several recommendations including information sharing to promote and facilitate harmonization to Codex Standards and implementation of risk analysis in the region.

Thailand[24]

73. Thailand tries to incorporate the risk analysis as recommended by Codex in the regulatory framework and implement the three areas of risk analysis.

Discussion by the Committee

74. The Delegation of Malaysia proposed that the Committee should request that Japan continue its efforts to harmonise and coordinate activities in obtaining dietary intake data for countries in the Region. A phased approach could be undertaken, including harmonization of food classification system, utilisation of dietary data in risk assessment and dietary assessment methodologies, including data analysis.

75. Based on the proposals of Thailand and India the Committee agreed to the following recommendations for the successful implementation of risk analysis principles:

- Asian region should cooperate to design training programmes to increase greater understanding on the principle of risk analysis and to implement it in their food safety programmes; FAO and WHO should be requested to provide support in this exercise, in particular technical assistance.

- FAO and WHO should play the key role in providing guidance for the practical implementation of risk analysis principles, in particular risk assessment.

- Asian region should actively participate in the sessions of the Codex Committees on Pesticide Residues, Food Additives and Contaminants, Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods, and Food Hygiene to develop a harmonized approach to risk analysis, especially to dietary exposure assessment for chemicals in foods, taking into consideration the needs of developing countries in Asia. The assessment of contaminants by the CCFAC should be revised to use the 13 regional diets that would be used by the CCPR.

- Codex, FAO and WHO should be encouraged to develop simple and practical guidelines on microbiological risk analysis for Member countries, particularly for developing Member countries.

- Member countries should share information to promote and facilitate harmonization to Codex standards and implementation of risk analysis in the Region.

- Member countries confirmed the recommendation of the Commission that they should adopt organizational structures and procedures that assure transparency and that allow National Codex Committees to consider consumer and private sector opinions. Cooperation should be developed with the consumer and private sectors in risk communication.

- Risk analysis should be based on scientific data[25] and should take into consideration different risk tolerances in countries.

- Risk analysis should be implemented in a phased manner.

76. The Committee recognized that the risk assessment of microbiological risk was lagging behind that of chemical risk. The Representative of WHO reported that WHO had recognized the need for developing a practical methodology for microbiological risk assessment and that WHO, jointly with FAO, had held an initial consultation on the subject in March 1999. The report of this consultation as well as other information on microbiological risk assessment are available on the WHO web site. With advice from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene, further consultations would be planned which would examine specific pathogens. The Committee agreed to the proposal of Thailand that in order to initiate discussion and to enhance the cooperation in the Region on this issue, Thailand would circulate a questionnaire it prepared to Member countries to collect information on priority issues to be considered in relation to risk assessment of microbiological hazards in foods.

Food Data Base for Dietary Exposure Assessment

77. The Delegation of Thailand stressed the need for food intake date to perform exposure assessment. The Delegations of Japan[26] and the Republic of Korea reported their recent activities in the area of dietary intake survey.

78. The Representative of WHO informed the Committee of the “Guideline for Prediction of Dietary Intake of Pesticide Residues”[27] and the first International Total Dietary Study Workshop held in the USA in August 1999 under the framework of the GEMS/Food Programme. He stated that WHO would continue its technical support in this area.

79. The Committee agreed that:

- Member countries should need to build up the ability to perform comprehensive dietary exposure assessment;

- Member countries should cooperate to develop national data base on food intake; and

- Member countries should be encouraged to exchange information and experience by training, seminar and workshop among Asian countries. FAO and WHO and developed countries were requested to support these activities financially or by providing expert advice, model software and training courses.

80. The Committee agreed that:

- The food consumption and environmental conditions of countries in Asia were generally similar and the exposure to hazards might not be so different. Therefore, Member countries should cooperate to improve practical approaches to risk analysis process. This would be a possible way for these countries to learn and understand what are “other factors and precautionary measures”.

- Member countries should follow Codex activities closely to ensure that other legitimate factors and the application of precautionary principle would not become barriers to trade, especially for developing countries.

- As comments were being requested by CL 1999/16-GP on the inclusion of precautionary principle within the working principles for risk analysis, Thailand and other interested Member countries should send written comments to the Secretary of the Commission by the middle of December.

81. The Delegation of Thailand presented the paper emphasizing the benefits of mutual recognition arrangement to trading partners and shared information on the progress so far made in the country. The Delegation mentioned that the success of the arrangement depended heavily upon an adequate and effective sanitary control infrastructure and therefore there was a need for technological transfer from developed countries to developing countries, and between importers and exporters. Thailand made a number of proposals.

82. The Delegation of Indonesia, fully supporting the Thai proposals, stated that duplicating efforts of international accreditation bodies and existing certification systems, such as ISO Guide 25, should be avoided. The Delegation invited Member countries to be actively involved in WTO’s work, especially in that of the TBT Committee.

83. Based on the proposals of Thailand, the Committee agreed that:

- The Codex Alimentarius Commission should play an active role in promoting the multilateral arrangement on mutual recognition among member countries;

- Member countries should actively participate in the elaboration of the guidelines for judgement of equivalence of sanitary measures associated with food inspection and certification system by the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) in order to establish guidance for arrangement of mutual recognition;

- Member countries should implement the Guidelines for the Development of Equivalence Agreements Regarding Food Imports and Export Inspection and Certification Systems[29] adopted by the Commission when concluding their bilateral or multilateral arrangements on mutual recognition.

- CCASIA should request the Commission, FAO and WHO to seek assistance from the United Nation’s specialized agencies to develop a concrete framework for technological transfer from developed countries to developing countries in the form of a joint programme for sustainable system.