Side Events

JOINT FAO/IAEA/WHO SEMINAR ON THE USE OF IRRADIATION FOR SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY PURPOSES

Partly as a result of recommendations arising from the International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation, the Government of Thailand has agreed to host the Joint FAO/IAEA/WHO Seminar on the Use of Irradiation for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Purposes in Bangkok, Thailand on 11 October 2004. The Seminar will be held immediately prior to the FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators – Building Effective Food Safety Systems (Bangkok, Thailand, 12-14 October 2004).

The main objective of the Seminar is to inform senior food inspectors/control officials and plant quarantine officials of a systematic approach in the application of irradiation as a sanitary and phytosanitary treatment for food and agricultural commodities destined for international trade. Additional details on the Seminar are available from the website of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture at http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/dx/index.html

Subject	Time	Speakers
Registration	08.30 – 09.00
Opening of the Seminar – Remarks by Representatives of the Sponsoring Organizations	09.00 – 09.15	FAO, IAEA and WHO Representatives
Achievements of the International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation	09.15 – 09.45	Alicia O. Lustre, Director, Food Development Centre, Department of Agriculture, Philippines
Use of Irradiation for Sanitary Purposes	09.45 – 10.15	Tatiana Rubio Cabello, Food Microbiologist, Food and Environmental Protection Section, International Atomic Energy Agency, Austria
Discussions and Questions	10.15 – 10.45
Refreshment Break	10.45 – 11.00
Use of Irradiation for Phytosanitary Purposes	11.00 – 11.30	Robert L. Griffin, Director, Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, USA
Safety of Irradiated Food	11.30 – 12.00	Gerald Moy, Scientist, Department of Food Safety, World Health Organization, Switzerland
Current and Future International Organization Activities on the Use of Irradiation	12.00 – 12.30	David H. Byron, Section Head, Food & Environmental Protection, International Atomic Energy Agency, Austria
Concluding Discussions and Questions	12.30 – 13.00

Food irradiation has emerged as a viable sanitary and phytosanitary treatment for food and agricultural commodities to meet the requirements set out in the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Currently, over 30 countries are using this technology for ensuring the safety and quality of foods and for satisfying quarantine regulations in trade, including meat products, fresh fruits, spices and dried vegetable seasonings. Although irradiated products are sold in supermarkets worldwide, many other countries could benefit from using this technology to reduce post-harvest food losses, control a number of food-borne diseases and facilitate food trade.

The International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation (ICGFI) was formed in 1984 upon the initiative of the Directors Generals of FAO, IAEA and WHO, who invited Member States to consider forming a consultative Group to further international cooperation in food irradiation. The resulting ICGFI was conceived as an independent body composed of government-designated experts. At its most recent 20^th Meeting in October 2003, the ICGFI agreed that in consideration of the great achievements made by ICGFI over the years in helping to establish the safety and wholesomeness of irradiated foods, and in view of the collaborative efforts of ICGFI with the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) in the finalization of international standards related to irradiation, there was no current justification for the establishment of a successor body to ICGFI after the expiration of its mandate in May 2004. The Meeting noted that the next step was the promotion and application of the technology for post-harvest treatment of food through the commercial sector.

The Meeting further noted that the proposed areas of activity and functions to be considered by the potential creation of a successor organization to ICGFI could be carried out through the various mechanisms available, including the sponsoring of visiting scientists, the convening on an ad hoc basis groups of experts to provide independent and authoritative advice, collaboration with Codex, the IPPC and other international organizations and through the technical cooperation program (TC) and other assistance programs of the agencies involved.

The 20^th Meeting of ICGFI also concluded that prior to the expiration of its mandate on 8 May 2004, a Working Group consisting of government-designated experts from Australia, Belgium, Egypt, New Zealand, Thailand and Turkey would meet in Vienna in early 2004 to discuss and provide advice on future activities related to the application of irradiation for sanitary and phytosanitary purposes. The ICGFI Working Group successfully met in Vienna from 12-14 January 2004 and concluding actions and recommendations related to the ICGFI are ongoing.

Partly as a result of these ICGFI Working Group recommendations, the Government of Thailand has agreed to host the Joint FAO/IAEA/WHO Seminar on the Use of Irradiation for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Purposes in Bangkok, Thailand on 11 October 2004. The Seminar will be held in conjunction with the FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators – Building Effective Food Safety Systems (Bangkok, Thailand, 12-14 October 2004).

Additional details on the Seminar are available from:

Food & Environmental Protection Section
Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture
International Atomic Energy Agency
Wagramerstrasse 5, P.O. Box 100
1400 Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43.1.260021638
Fax: +43.1.26007
E-Mail: Official.Mail@iaea.org
Internet: http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/dx/index.html