1. The Codex Alimentarius Commission held its Twenty-eighth Session at FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy, from 4 to 9 July 2005. Dr Stuart Slorach (Sweden), Chairperson of the Commission presided over the session, assisted by the Vice-Chairpersons Dr Claude J. S. Mosha (Tanzania), Dr Hiroshi Yoshikura (Japan) and Mr Paul Mayers (Canada). The Session was attended by 492 delegates, alternates and advisors from 121 Members, and 41 international governmental and non-governmental organizations including UN agencies. A list of participants, including the Secretariat, is given in Appendix I to this report.
2. The Session was opened by Mr David Harcharik, Deputy Director-General, FAO and Dr Kerstin Leitner, Assistant Director-General - Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments, WHO, respectively.
3. The Commission adopted the Provisional Agenda as its Agenda for the Session with the understanding that Item 17 “Appointment of Regional Coordinators” be discussed immediately following Item 3 “Reports of FAO/WHO Regional Coordinating Committees”.
4. The Commission noted the division of competence between the European Community and its Member States, presented by the Delegation of the European Community as LIM.3 and LIM.3 Add.1, according to Rule II.5 of the Rules of Procedure. The Delegation of the European Community informed the Commission that the positions taken by the European Community were also supported by Bulgaria and Romania, for which the accession treaty to the EC had been signed and officially published.
2 ALINORM 05/28/3 and ALINORM 05/28/3A
5. In accordance with Rule IV.5 of the Rules of Procedure, the Chairperson reported to the Commission on the outcome of the 55th and 56th Sessions of the Executive Committee, as follows.
6. The 55thSession of the Executive Committee had considered in particular the Strategic Planning of the Commission, the progress in the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Evaluation of the Codex Alimentarius and other FAO and WHO Work on Food Standards; and the consultants' Preliminary Report on the Review of Codex Committee Structure and Mandates of Codex Committees and Task Forces.
7. The 56th Session of the Executive Committee had provided advice to the Commission in particular on the following issues: the proposals for new work and discontinuation of work; the implementation of the FAO/WHO Evaluation; the review of the Codex Committee structure; financial and budgetary matters; and matters arising from Codex Committees, FAO and WHO.
8. The Commission endorsed the recommendations of the Executive Committee concerning the distribution of documents3 and agreed that the proposal of New Zealand concerning a process for the elaboration of riskbased standards for microbiological hazards be forwarded to the Committee on Food Hygiene for consideration4.
3 ALINORM 05/28/3A, paras 88–89
4 ALINORM 05/28/3A, paras 90–92
9. As regards Codex future work on antimicrobial resistance, the Commission discussed the proposal of the Executive Committee to hold an in-session working group during the Commission, to further examine the scope and terms of reference contained in the working documents and provide its findings to the Commission.
10. Several delegations expressed their concern with the establishment of a working group during the present session as their delegates were not experts in the area of antimicrobial resistance and could not usefully participate in a detailed discussion by the proposed working group. The Commission agreed that no working group would formally be established during the current session but noted that members could hold informal discussions if needed, given that the matter had been under consideration in Codex for some time.
11. The Commission noted the reports of the latest sessions of the Coordinating Committees presented by their respective Coordinators. The Coordinating Committees expressed their gratitude for the capacity building activities of FAO and WHO and their appreciation for the Codex Trust Fund. They expressed the hope that the use of the Trust Fund would be expanded to cover training and technical assistance. The Coordinating Committees also discussed food legislation and food control systems in their regions, the Code of Ethics for International Trade, consumer participation in Codex activities and the role of coordinating committees in Codex.
12. The Delegation of Morocco stated that the Coordinating Committee for Africa had requested clarification of the roles of the Regional Coordinating Committees and the Members of the Executive Committee elected on a geographical basis. At the next session, the Coordinating Committee was expected to adopt a Strategic Plan for the Coordinating Committee for Africa.
13. The Delegation of the Republic of Korea reported that the Coordinating Committee for Asia was currently developing several proposed draft standards. The Delegation indicated that an FAO/WHO workshop on Functional Foods had been held in conjunction with the last session of the Committee, providing a venue for useful exchange of information.
14. The Delegation of the Slovak Republic noted that the Coordinating Committee for Europe had discussed, among other things, issues related to the compatibility of data reporting formats for risk assessment. Appreciation was expressed for the seminar organized by the Netherlands in cooperation with the Government of the Slovak Republic, and for FAO's and WHO's efforts to facilitate participation of countries in transition in that region in Codex work.
15. The Delegation from Argentina indicated that the Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean was implementing a Regional Strategic Plan. A Circular Letter had been distributed to determine if the Committee should proceed with the elaboration of Guidelines for Food Safety in Tourist Zones. The Committee had noted that the newly established Food Safety Institute of the Americas could provide useful training and capacity building activities in the region.
16. The Delegation of Jordan stated that proposed draft Regional Guidelines for National Codex Committees and Codex Contact Points had been put forward by the Coordinating Committee for the Near East for adoption by the Commission. Also, the Committee had sent three proposed draft Regional Standards for adoption by the Commission at Step 5.
17. The Delegation of Samoa informed the Commission that the Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific had endorsed a Strategic Plan for the Region. The Committee had supported the enlargement of the Executive Committee to include Regional Coordinators as full members and had identified a need to clarify the roles of the Regional Coordinators and that of the members of the Executive Committee elected on a geographic basis.
