4. The Committee noted matters arising from the 47th Session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission concerning the Commission’s Medium Term Plan 2003-2007[3], progress made in implementing the general decisions of the Commission in risk analysis[4] and work related to antimicrobial resistance to bacteria in food. The Committee was also informed of matters arising from the Codex Committees on Food Hygiene, Food Additives and Contaminants, Pesticide Residues, Food Labelling, General Principles, Methods of Analysis and Sampling and the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Biotechnology.
5. The Codex Secretariat reaffirmed that the principal mandate of the Codex Alimentarius Commission was protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the food trade and in this regard, noted the decision taken by the 1st Session of the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding (TFAF) that the primary purpose of the Code of Practice on Good Animal Feeding was the protection of consumers’ health, in particular as related to food safety issues[5]. The TFAF also recalled that its work was based in part on the FAO Expert Consultation on Animal Feeding and Food Safety, which dealt specifically with the interface between animal feeding and food safety.
6. The TFAF also noted that in elaborating the Codex Code of Practice on Animal Feeding, it was required under its terms of reference “to take full account of, and collaborate with, as appropriate, work carried out by relevant Codex Committees, and other relevant international bodies, including FAO, WHO, OIE and IPPC” and in this regard, the Codex Secretariat provided comprehensive information of the work undertaken by other related Codex bodies, as requested by the 1st Session of the TFAF[6], as follows:
CODEX COMMITTEE ON FOOD ADDITIVES AND CONTAMINANTS
7. The TFAF noted that among other tasks, the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC) was responsible for the establishment or endorsement of permitted or maximum guideline levels for food additives, for contaminants (including environmental contaminants) and for naturally occurring toxicants in foodstuffs and animal feeds. The CCFAC was also responsible for preparing priority lists of food additives and contaminants for toxicological evaluation by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).
8. In the area of mycotoxins in food and feed, the CCFAC had already finalized a maximum level for aflatoxins in peanuts intended for further processing, a maximum level for aflatoxin M1 in milk and was in the process of elaborating a maximum level for ochratoxin A in wheat, barley, rye and related products. In the interest of controlling contamination of foods and feedingstuffs at source, the CCFAC had also finalized a code of practice on the reduction of aflatoxin B1 in raw materials and feedingstuffs in milk producing animals and was also in the process of elaborating a code of practice for the prevention of mycotoxin contamination in cereals, including annexes on ochratoxin A, zearalenone, fumonisins and tricothecenes.
9. In the area of industrial and environmental contaminants in foods, the CCFAC had finalized or was in the process of elaborating maximum levels for lead in various foodstuffs (including cereal grains, pulses, legumes, vegetables, legume vegetables, fruit, meat, fat, offal, milk and milk fat) and maximum levels for cadmium (cereals, pulses, legumes, wheat grain and rice, soybeans and peanuts). The CCFAC had also finalized a code of practice for source directed measures to reduce contamination of foods with chemicals and was in the process of elaborating a code of practice for source directed measures to reduce dioxin and dioxin like PCB contamination of foods. In this regard, the CCFAC was also considering the elaboration of potential maximum levels for dioxins and dioxin like PCBs in foods and feedingstuffs, pending a toxicological evaluation to be performed by the 57th Meeting of the JECFA in June 2001 based on data submitted on these substances in foods, feedingstuffs and breast milk. This included the consideration of, in collaboration with the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling, methods of analysis for dioxins and dioxin like PCBs in foods and feedingstuffs.
10. The CCFAC was also in the process of elaborating a general standard for contaminants and toxins in foods, which was a general standard applicable to maximum levels for contaminants in all foods, regardless of whether or not the foods were standardized by Codex. In this regard, the next 34th Session of the CCFAC would be examining a list of all maximum and guideline levels in foods under current consideration by the Committee, as well as current maximum and guideline levels contained in Codex commodity standards, with an indication of their step status.
CODEX COMMITTEE ON PESTICIDE RESIDUES
11. The TFAF was informed that the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues was responsible for the establishment of maximum residue limits for pesticide residues in certain animal feedingstuffs moving in international trade where this was justified for reasons of protection of human health and to consider other matters in relation to the safety of food and feed containing pesticide residues and to establish maximum limits for environmental and industrial contaminants showing chemical or other similarities to pesticides.
CODEX COMMITTEE ON RESIDUES OF VETERINARY DRUGS IN FOODS
12. The TFAF noted that the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) was responsible for the establishment of maximum levels for residues of veterinary drugs in foods, including drugs used for therapeutic, prophylactic or diagnostic purposes or for modification of physiological functions or behavior. The CCRVDF had also finalized guidelines on the establishment of a regulatory programme to control veterinary drugs in foods as well as a recommended international code of practice for control of the use of veterinary drugs.
CODEX COMMITTEE ON FOOD HYGIENE
13. The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) was responsible for the elaboration of provisions on food hygiene applicable to all foods, and had established principles for the establishment and application of microbiological criteria for foods and principles and guidelines for the conduct of microbiological risk assessment.
CODEX COMMITTEE ON FOOD LABELLING
14. The TFAF noted that the Codex Committee on Food Labelling had finalized guidelines for the production, processing, labelling and marketing of organically produced foods, including aspects related to livestock production.
15. In view of the aforementioned information, the Codex Secretariat agreed to provide an update on related activities of other Codex committees at the next session of the TFAF, including a presentation of the step status of various levels for contaminants established or under consideration by the CCFAC. The Codex Secretariat also indicated that although the establishment of maximum levels for contaminants, pesticides, veterinary drugs and microbiological limits were clearly outside the mandate of the TFAF, it was within the purview of the TFAF to recommend future work on specific issues identified in the context of animal feeding as it relates to food safety through the Codex Alimentarius Commission for potential distribution as new work to the relevant Codex body.
MATTERS OF INTEREST FROM OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
16. The Task Force noted matters of interest from the OIE, the FAO and the WHO on animal health and food safety issues relating to animal feeds, as follows:
Office International des épizooties (OIE)
17. An information paper[7] prepared by the Codex Secretariat was presented by the representative of the OIE on the Joint WHO/FAO/OIE Technical Consultation on BSE, Public Health and Trade, to be held at OIE Headquarters in Paris, France from 11-14 June 2001.
18. The Representative of the OIE noted that the Consultation would work towards clear and workable recommendations for countries, particularly developing countries, to:
19. The planned Consultation would review, discuss and synthesize current knowledge on pathogenesis, epidemiology, distribution, likely source of the epidemics, prevention and control of BSE/vCJD. The principal goal would be to provide better information to countries that are trying to decide what to do within their own borders to avoid risk to their human and animal populations. A secondary goal would be to provide a forum for the review of some of the most compelling problems in BSE control internationally. Specialists from various disciplines, national authorities, international organizations and institutions, NGOs and other stakeholders involved would be invited to participate.
20. The Representative of the OIE informed the Task Force of previous works undertaken by WHO in providing recommendations for the protection of public health in relation to human and animal Transmissible Sprongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs)[8] and of the work of the OIE on the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), including the existance of a chapter on BSE in its International Animal Health Code. This Chapter provides specific recommendations on assessment of risk with reference to the risk factors in animal feeding.
21. The Representative of the OIE informed the TFAF that additional information on the Technical Consultation could be obtained from the websites of WHO, FAO and OIE.
World Health Organization of the United Nations (WHO)
22. The Representative of the WHO informed the TFAF that two other main activities related to animal feeding were carried out by the WHO in addition to the Joint WHO/FAO/OIE Technical Consultation on BSE, Public Health and Trade, as presented by the Representative of the OIE.
23. The second activity would be a follow-up[9] to the WHO Consultation on Methods and Principles for the Monitoring of Antimicrobial Usage in Food Animal Production for the Protection of Human Health, to be held from 10-13 September 2001 in Oslo, Norway. Surveillance of antimicrobial consumption in food animals was identified as a indispensable requisite for the identification of risk factors for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic bacteria and the evaluation of public health intervention for their containment. However, there was still insufficient information available on antimicrobial consumption, which would be a focus of the meeting. Objectives were to develop models for national and international strategies for surveillance of antimicrobial usage in food animals and to make recommendations to support governments, national authorities, the pharmaceutical industry, international organizations and other stakeholders in their endeavours to establish national antimicrobial usage surveillance programmes. Existing data on the consumption of non-human antimicrobial usage, national experiences and approaches in the setting up of antimicrobial usage surveillance systems will also be reviewed.
24. The Task Force was reminded of the WHO Global Principles for the Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance in Animals intended for Foods. This was developed during a Consultation which was held from 5-9 June 2000, in Geneva, with the participation of the FAO and the OIE. It focused on the public and human health aspects of antimicrobial use in animals intended for food while recognizing the on-going need for antimicrobial treatment of diseased animals. In addition, the Representative of the OIE informed the Task Force that while the OIE was not involved in the surveillance of antimicrobial usage in animal feed, it had an ad-hoc Group on antimicrobial resistance which would continue to collaborate with the FAO and the WHO.
25. The third main activity was a WHO Consultation on Pre-harvest Food Safety, with the participation of the OIE and the FAO, which would be held in Berlin, Germany from 26-28 March 2001. It will focus on activities and measures related to farm-animal production, which contribute to the protection of human health. This will include meat in particular as well as other products not subject to additional food processing steps. The Consultation is part of WHOs activities to develop sustainable and integrated food safety systems for the reduction of public health risks along the entire food chain, from primary producer to the consumer. Various organizations and institutions, which have both interest and activities in the area of pre-harvest food safety, will participate.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
26. The Representative of the FAO stressed the collaboration between FAO, WHO and OIE in organizing consultations referred to by WHO and OIE. The Representative of the FAO referred the meeting to the FAO’s website[10] for comprehensive technical information on animal feed safety.
27. The Representative from the FAO reported that the development of Codes of Practice and Good Manufacturing Practices for livestock production and the feed industry were included in its programme of work and budget for 2002 and 2003. It was FAO’s role to cover aspects of livestock production and the environment, as well as animal health, in collaboration with the OIE, which were outside the mandate of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
