(9/9/2009)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety & Inspection Service and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a public meeting to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions that will be discussed at the 3rd Session of the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on antimicrobial resistance to be held in Jeju, Republic of Korea, Oct. 12-16.

The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., Rm. 107-A, USDA, Jamie L. Whitten Federal Building, 1200 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250. Attendees will be required to present photo identification at the door.

Documents and agenda items related to the 3rd Session of the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on antimicrobial resistance will be accessible at www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.

Codex was created in 1963 by two United Nations organizations, the Food & Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Codex develops food standards, guidelines and codes of practice in order to protect the health of consumers, to ensure fair food trade practices, and to promote the coordination of food standards undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

The Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on antimicrobial resistance was established by the 29th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2006 to help develop science-based guidelines to be used to assess the risks to human health that are associated with the presence of antimicrobial resistant microorganisms and antimicrobial resistant genes in food and feed, including aquaculture, and their transmission through food and feed. The Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on antimicrobial resistance is hosted by the Republic of Korea.

Interested parties may submit written comments at the public meeting, or by e-mail to David G. White at David.White@fda.hhs.gov.

For further information about the public meeting, contact Doreen Chen-Moulec, U.S. Codex Office, FSIS by e-mail at Doreen.Chen-Moulec@fsis.usda.gov or uscodex@fsis.usda.gov or by phone at (202) 205-7760 or fax at (202) 720-3157.

feedstuffs.com

Saturday, 4 July

International Day of Cooperatives
“Driving Global Recovery through Cooperatives”
More Information: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/intldays/IntlCoops

Amman: Bureau of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.
Rome: Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) � a commission jointly established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) which discusses international food standards.

UPDATE:

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) this week adopted provisions for five key issues for the food supplement industry in line with provisions supported by IADSA.

The Codex decision-making body, which is meeting in Rome from 29 June till 4 July, adopted the Recommendations on the Scientific Substantiation of Health Claims, the Nutritional Risk Analysis Principles, the Provisions on Gum Arabic, the definition and table of conditions of dietary fibre, and the use of eight food colours in food supplements, all in line with recommendations from the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations’ (IADSA). These Codex provisions now become official Codex Standards and Guidelines.

The adopted Recommendations on the Scientific Substantiation of Health Claims now take into account the totality of the available relevant scientific data and weighing of the evidence for substantiating a health claim, rather than placing primary importance on human intervention trials.

IADSA also welcomed the adoption of the Nutritional Risk Analysis Principles, which it described as “a solid framework for the potential future application of the risk assessment method by Codex for the use of vitamins, minerals and other substances in food supplements”.

Gum Arabic was adopted as a carrier at 10 mg/kg; and the definition and table of conditions of dietary fibre now distinguish three main categories of carbohydrate polymers, refer to monomeric units and leave the decision on whether to include carbohydrates with monomeric units from 3 to 9, to national authorities.

In addition, the CAC adopted the use of the following eight food colours in food supplements: Allura Red AC, Caramel Colour-Class IV, Carotenoids, Chlorophylls-Copper Complexes, Fast Green FCF, Grape Skin Extracts, Indigotine and Iron Oxides – a decision that IADSA said “will avoid potential confusion in many countries and unnecessary barriers to trade”.

IADSA Chairman Byron Johnson said: “We support the results of the work on these issues and support their adoption. The drafts finally agreed endorse a number of comments made by IADSA, and we welcome the progress that has been made.”

Dressing up dangerous Codex as “food safety”
Daily Kos – Berkeley, CA

The article below is from Thailand, where herbs such as turmeric, ginger and chili are being suddenly being called “hazardous.”

The “food safety” bills here do the same thing, redefining normal as hazardous and putting it under government control or requiring licensing which, by its costs, would put it out of reach. Normal seeds are being treated in this way in the EU.  The “food safety” bills here would put seeds out of reach by suddenly redefining  such normal things as agricultural water, manure, harvesting, transporting and seed cleaning equipment, and seed storage facilities as “sources of contamination” and from there, raising the standards for their use to a level farmers couldn’t meet.

Codex Alimentarius – A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Codex Alimentarius – Translation: “Food Code” Originally envisioned and designed by what became the most ruthless and inhumane of 20th century Western European regimes, Codex Alimentarius (Codex) was later organized and officiated mainly by members of an emerging pharmaceutical industry spawned by that very same source.

Codex aims are already being closely followed by even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who has already sent “cease and desist” letters to vitamin manufacturers for their promotion of mental and physiological benefits of vitamin supplements on their web sites. Nearly 2/3rds of existing available vitamin substances have already been banned by the European Union through the European Food Supplements Directive which was passed into law in 2002 and upheld as law by the European court of Justice in 2005.

Note: These supplements are scheduled to be removed from online sites and store shelves in 2009.

Vitamin and Supplement Lovers Are Being Threatened

Political Awareness and Responsibility – http://180people.com/

Codex Alimentarious is on the horizon and it will affect you.

It is one of the major bodies behind the effort to limit access to nutritional products and information.

Behind the Codex Alimentarius Commission is the United Nations and the World Health Organization working in conjunction with the multinational pharmaceutical cartel and international banks.

Its initial efforts in the US with the FDA were defeated, so it made friends with FTC.

Codex began simply when the U.N. authorized the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization to develop a universal food code.

Their purpose was to ‘harmonize’ regulations for dietary supplements worldwide and set international safety standards for the purposes of increased trade.

Instead of focusing on food safety, Codex is using its power to promote worldwide restrictions on vitamins and food supplements, severely limiting their availability and dosages.

While the stated goal of Codex is to establish regulations for dietary supplements in every country, the actual goal is to outlaw health products and information on vitamins and dietary supplements, except those under their direct control.

GMA Aims to Beef Up Private-Sector Food Safety Efforts

Supermarket News – New York City, NY, USA

GMA’s supply chain initiatives were announced days after President Obama proposed to increase the FDA’s 2010 budget by 19%. Half of the increase would go to food safety efforts, according to published reports.

“There is a rare and historic opportunity to enact significant food safety reforms through the combined efforts of Congress, the administration and the industry over the next few months,” Bailey said.

GOVERNOR SEBELIUS MUST VETO KANSAS LEGISLATION

By Jeffrey Smith
April 23, 2009

NewsWithViews.com

According to studies acknowledged by the FDA, milk from treated cows has higher levels of pus, antibiotics, growth hormone, and Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). It is the IGF-1 that has the medical community up in arms. The American Nurses Association called for the elimination of rbGH in dairy production. The past president of the American Medical Association urged hospitals to serve only rbGH-free milk (over 160 hospitals have pledged to do so). And schools nationwide are banning the drugged milk as well.

Cancer link to milk hormone

IGF-1 is a risk factor for cancer. A Lancet study showed that pre-menopausal women below age 50 with high levels of IGF-1 are seven times more likely to develop breast cancer. A study in Science found that men with high IGF-1 levels are four times more likely to get prostate cancer. IGF-1 is implicated in lung and colon cancer.

We should ask HR875 sponsors to withdraw their cosponsorship!
OpEdNews – March 30, 2009

Rep Berkley, Shelley [NV-1] – 2/11/2009
Rep Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [GA-2] – 2/4/2009
Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [NY-1] – 2/4/2009
Rep Carson, Andre [IN-7] – 2/11/2009
Rep Castor, Kathy [FL-11] – 2/4/2009
Rep Courtney, Joe [CT-2] – 3/3/2009
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] – 2/4/2009
Rep DeGette, Diana [CO-1] – 2/4/2009
Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] – 2/4/2009
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] – 2/4/2009
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] – 2/10/2009
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] – 2/4/2009
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] – 3/19/2009
Rep Giffords, Gabrielle [AZ-8] – 2/4/2009
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] – 2/4/2009
Rep Hall, John J. [NY-19] – 2/4/2009
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] – 2/4/2009
Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [HI-2] – 2/4/2009
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] – 2/12/2009
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9] – 2/4/2009
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] – 2/4/2009
Rep Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18] – 2/4/2009
Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] – 2/10/2009
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] – 2/4/2009
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] – 2/4/2009
Rep Moore, Gwen [WI-4] – 2/4/2009
Rep Murphy, Christopher S. [CT-5] – 2/4/2009
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8] – 2/4/2009
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] – 2/12/2009
Rep Pingree, Chellie [ME-1] – 2/4/2009
Rep Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch [MD-2] – 3/10/2009
Rep Ryan, Tim [OH-17] – 2/4/2009
Rep Sanchez, Linda T. [CA-39] – 2/4/2009
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] – 2/4/2009
Rep Schauer, Mark H. [MI-7] – 2/4/2009
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28] – 2/4/2009
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] – 2/12/2009
Rep Sutton, Betty [OH-13] – 2/4/2009
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] – 3/3/2009
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] – 2/4/2009
Rep Wexler, Robert [FL-19] – 3/3/2009

GMO regulations
KBS Radio – March 29, 2009

French scientists who have been studying the effects of “Round up ” a chemical component used to keep weeds away from genetically modified foods, found that when the components were used in mixtures they became deadly. This is one of many reasons why The New Democrat’s are pressing the Harper Government to reassess regulations surrounding genetically modified foods says Local MP Alex Atamanenko. Atamanenko is against any increase in GMO crops, saying that there is no proven research stating that GMO’s are a healthy alternative adding that countries such as France and Hungry have banned GMO products that are still growing in Canada.

Is the FDA trying to take away your right to purchase herbs & supplements?
Examiner.com – March 22, 2009

Perhaps one of the greatest concerns of those who utilize herbs and supplements to support their overall health is that supplements will one day be regulated in a way that will limit access to these powerful tools. Since the US Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was passed in 1994 which gave us the right to freely buy supplements, many have wondered if this would truly be the end of the battle. Part of the concern comes from the fact that other countries do not have the same rights to supplements as people living in the US. The Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Food Supplements, as developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), has challenged other people’s rights to supplements throughout the world.