2. The Session was opened by the President of the Dominican Republic who signaled the need to use food standards that were based on science and transparency. He also underlined the need to develop a policy that would ensure food safety to protect the health of consumers and the national tourism industry.
3. The Coordinator of the Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean also addressed the participants and stressed that the new technologies in food production and the globalization of trade had made food safety and quality a priority issue for the countries of the Region. In this connection, he pointed out that Codex standards were a means of protecting consumer health and ensuring fair practices in food trade.
4. The Representative of FAO in the Dominican Republic drew attention to the international nature of Codex standards and the work of the Committee in the Region. The outlined the technical assistance activities that FAO was conducting in the country and stressed that the Organization would continue to provide assistance to the member countries of the Region in all aspects relating to systems of control of food safety and quality.
5. The Representative of WHO/PAHO stressed the importance that Codex had acquired as a mandatory reference in international normative processes and in the settlement of disputes in the international food trade. He also underlined that PAHO saw the Committee as a vehicle for encouraging a more determined commitment on the part of governments in the work of Codex and for the promotion of harmonized regional positions before the Commission and its subsidiary bodies.
