2. The Session was opened by Dr Wachsmuth who welcomed the delegates as Chairperson of the Committee on Food Hygiene. Mr Thomas J. Billy, Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA and Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, addressed the delegates and indicated that as the new millennium approached efforts should be intensified to respond to increasingly complex issues, such as emerging technologies, emerging pathogens, harmonization of food safety standards, and globalization of food trade. He emphasized that as Chairman of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) together with Vice-Chairs of the Commission he would promote four major initiatives. First, the Commission should continue to stress the importance of science in developing standards and related texts. Second, the World Health Organization (WHO) would be encouraged to match their support to the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme to the level provided by FAO. Third, sponsoring organizations, FAO and WHO, would be encouraged to establish a fund to increase participation of developing countries in Codex Committee meetings. Lastly, Codex committees should utilize the Internet and establish interactive home pages to increase participation of developing countries and transparency. Finally, Mr Billy noted the outstanding work of the CCFH in preparing fundamental documents for the Commission to ensure consumer health protection.
3. Prof. J.L. Jouve, European Commission, Directorate for Health and Consumer Protection, made a presentation entitled “Risk Assessment of Microbiological Hazards: Scientific Advice and Foodborne Microbiological Risk Management”. In his presentation Prof Jouve stressed that an expert body, correctly established and managed, provides an effective mechanism to ensure the scientific adequacy of analyses and assessment for foods in international trade. He pointed out that the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation held in Geneva opened new grounds in determining the scope and outputs of the expert group meetings and in identifying necessary support mechanisms and noted that additional issues still needed to be considered for an appropriate functioning of this vehicle including the need to ensure transparency, independence, credibility and plurality of sources of information/expertise.
