LAC and African countries discuss regional positions at Codex Alimentarius meeting
San Jose, June 18, 2015 (IICA). During an unprecedented meeting held in San José, over 60 delegates from Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) and African countries analyzed proposals for international food safety standards in order to facilitate global negotiations on this topic.
The countries are preparing for the meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, recognized by the World Trade Organization as the go-to organization for food safety standards. Given that LAC and African countries represent 45% of the commission’s member countries, reaching agreements on regional positions can advance progress in topics of common interest and drive multilateral agreements.
Organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the United States government, the meeting in Costa Rica was the first of its kind held between the two regions. The Codex Alimentarius coordinating committees for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) and Africa (CCAFRICA) participated in the event.
“Conflicting options that make it difficult to reach consensus commonly exist in negotiations, but discussions facilitate mutual understanding and increase trust among countries,” stated Carlos Mora, Vice Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce of Costa Rica.
The Director General of IICA, Víctor M. Villalobos, agreed with Mora, and added that establishing standards facilitates the multilateral trade system, which in turn benefits consumers and small and medium-sized producers.
“Its dual objective of ensuring consumer health and promoting trade devoid of arbitrary discrimination shows that, beyond being a process for approving standards, Codex represents opportunities for development and social welfare,” he stated.
The CCLAC and CCAFRICA representatives discussed regional and international standards for products that are of interest to their regions, such as pirarucu (Amazonian fish), quinoa, fondue, panela, and cadmium in cocoa, among others.
The positions discussed at the colloquium will be analyzed with the rest of the Codex member countries at the global meeting, which will take place in Switzerland in July.
Additionally, participants agreed on the importance of approving or rejecting standards based on technical and scientific criteria. This acknowledgement was made following discussion on a standard for recombinant bovine somatotropin (a product that increases milk production in cattle), approval for which has been under discussion over the past 15 years.
Mary Frances Lowe, the U.S. Codex Coordinator, stated that trusting the technical basis of the standards is crucial to making progress in the negotiations and commit to protecting consumer health, as well as ensuring fair trade practices.
Her counterpart from CCAFRICA, Charles Booto Ngon, expressed his interest in holding similar meetings and highlighted the importance of dialogue for improving participation during food safety meetings.
Guilherme da Costa Junior, Vice-Chairperson for Codex Alimentarius, and Isabel Cristina Araya, CCLAC Coordinator in Costa Rica, also participated in the meeting.
More information:
erick.bolanos@iica.int
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