3-6 November 1998: COMMITTEE - Africa (13th Session)

Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa (13th Session)
Harare, Zimbabwe, 3-6 November 1998

Matters For Consideration By The Commission

The Committee:

• advanced the Draft Revised Guidelines for the Design of Control Measures for Street-Vended Foods in Africa to the Commission for adoption at Step 8 recommending the omission of Steps 6 and 7;
• agreed to nominate Dr. Eve Kasirye-Alemu (Uganda) as Coordinator for Africa for appointment by the 23rd Session of the Commission;
• agreed to request the Commission to:
  • approve the elaboration of a standard for Dried Figs, and
  • consider Risk Communication needs in Developing Countries as future work.

Other Matters Of Interest To The Commission The Committee:

• requested CCPR to consider the problem of pesticides in fish with a view to establishing EMRL’s;
• stressed the need for training in various aspects of the application of the General Principles of Food Hygiene and HACCP;
• concluded that adequate good manufacturing practice, agricultural or hygienic practices were prerequisites for the implementation of HACCP, but expressed concern as regards the application of HACCP by medium and small scale enterprises;
• proposed that member countries including developing countries could contribute to the process of risk analysis by undertaking exposure assessments based on national dietary patterns and effective monitoring of hazards of interest (such as contaminants) in food;
• re-affirmed the role of science in the Codex decision-making process, and endorsed the recommendations made by the Workshop on “Risk Analysis and Food Standards”;
• identified principal difficulties faced by African countries in relationship to food trade;
• recognized important role of consumers in Codex work at national level, and that their involvement was limited by lack of resources and scientific expertise;
• emphasised and appreciated the usefulness of the FAO/Codex workshops on the establishment and administration of National Codex structures, and called as a priority for follow-up assistance to strengthen national structures to ensure their long-term effectiveness.