The Second Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators, jointly convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, took place from 12 to 14 October 2004 in Bangkok, at the kind invitation of the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand. Approximately 400 delegates from 90 member countries and observers from 10 international governmental and non-governmental organizations participated to exchange information and experiences on the theme "Building effective food safety systems". A total of 13 working documents were presented and discussed in plenary sessions on two subthemes - "Strengthening official food safety control services" and "Epidemio-surveillance of food-borne diseases and food safety rapid alert systems". In addition, over 100 conference room documents were prepared by the participating countries and organizations covering the various topics of the forum. Side events were also held on specific matters of interest to the forum.
