The Codex Alimentarius Commission opened its 26th session on 30 June with representatives from 169 countries coming together to decide on the adoption of a number of new food safety standards designed to safeguard the health of consumers worldwide, while improving global agricultural trade opportunities. Standards considered by the Commission include the establishment of methods to assess the risk of foods derived from biotechnology. The meeting continues until 7 July. See a press release on the opening of the meeting at http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2003/19943-en.html (in Arabic, English, French and Spanish) or contact [email protected] for further information.

01/07/2003