Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 5 • Number 17 • 30th September 2005
Codex Starts Work on Second Generation Biotech
Discuss this articleShare your views with other visitors, and read what they have to say
The Codex Alimentarius Commission Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology decided on 23 September to create guidelines for the conduct of food safety assessments of food derived from GM animals and from plants modified for nutritional and health benefits. The group was re-created by the Commission at its July 2005 session with a mandate to work on food safety issues related to biotechnology after the last manifestation of the group created principles and two guidelines on GM plants and microorganisms that were adopted in 2003 (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 11 July 2003, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/03-07-11/inbrief.htm). On 19 September, the task force began its work in Chiba, Japan and discussed priorities for the standards that the task force should work on in the future. Countries such as Canada and Australia stressed the need for standards on so-called “second generation” biotechnology, such as products derived from GM animals and plants that have been modified for nutritional and health benefits. Delegates argued that although such products — which could include milk from GM cows or “golden rice” that has been modified to have more pro-vitamin A — are not yet on the market, countries are currently in the process of developing standards to regulate these products and need guidance. Other countries argued for the inclusion of ethical and environmental concerns in the guidelines, though some pointed out that the mandate of Codex is solely to create guidelines relating to food safety and human health. Owing to the lack of consensus on the need for guidelines on plants that have been genetically modified to create pharmaceuticals (”biopharmaceuticals”), another second generation technology, the group did not agree to launch standards procedures on this issue. Instead, the group agreed, subject to the formal approval of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in July 2006, to launch standard drafting processes on food safety and products from GM animals and nutritionally or health-enhanced GM plants. A working group will meet to start drafting text of the standard in spring 2006, and the next meeting of the task force is planned for fall 2006.
ICTSD Reporting.
Add a comment
Enter your details and a comment below, then click Submit Comment. We’ll review and publish the best comments.