Lagos — Joint commission of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), has moved to enforce higher global food standards.

CAC adopted more than 20 new and amended food standards during its annual meeting which ended at the weekend

Among the measures adopted were guidelines on vitamin and mineral food supplements and a code of practice to minimise and contain anti-microbial resistance.

A report from the commission made available to THISDAY explained that some 120 countries were represented at this year's Codex session, as well as the European Community, a member organisation. Codex is an international food standards-setting body established by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). It has 172 members, all of which belong to FAO or WHO or both.

According to the report, CAC adopted global guidelines for vitamin and mineral food supplements as one of its first decisions. The guidelines recommend labelling that contains information on maximum consumption levels of vitamin and mineral food supplements, assisting countries to increase consumer information, which will help consumers use them in a safe and effective way.

the guidelines according to the commission ensures that consumers receive beneficial health effects from vitamins and minerals.

"The guidelines say that people should be encouraged to select a balanced diet to get the sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. Only in cases where food does not provide sufficient vitamins and minerals should supplements be used," the report said. "Codex tentatively agreed to a task force addressing antimicrobial resistance. A formal decision is set for next year. WHO, FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health have developed guidelines for the prudent use of anti-microbials in the treatment of human illnesses and animal production, which the task force will carry forward to ensure food safety."

It added. "Anti-microbial resistance had been debated for several years and agreement has been difficult because it involves collaboration from different sectors: animal health and production, human health and drug manufacturing. The new task force will bring all these sectors together and develop a holistic approach to this growing problem".

The groups explained that the resistance to anti-microbial drugs such as antibiotics is an emerging public health problem caused by a number of factors, including the inappropriate use of anti-biotics in humans; anti-biotic treatment of illnesses in animals used for human consumption and, in some cases, to promote faster growth. The use of anti-microbials as pesticides is also a factor in antimicrobial resistance.

Resistant micro-organisms developed in animals used for human consumption may be transmitted to humans mainly by contaminated food. For example, resistant strains of salmonella and others that are food-borne - are now frequently encountered, limiting the effective treatment of human infections which, in some cases, can result in death.

In other decisions, the CAC decided to split the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants into separate committees beginning in 2007, in order to deal more effectively with each issue.

On the issue of intellectual property concerns regarding the labelling and composition of Parmesan cheese, no consensus was reached and the CAC put the issue on hold, allowing interested countries to continue consultations among themselves to seek a resolution. However, no date was set for the Commission to revisit this matter.

Dr Stuart Slorach, the out-going CAC Chairman, said: "This has been an extremely productive session. Even though only one year has passed since the last CAC meeting, we adopted over 20 standards which, when used appropriately, will better protect consumer health and improve their confidence in the products they consume . Moreover, we took important steps this week to involve partner organizations in the setting of these standards and to make the structure of Codex more efficient."

Elections at the 28th session of Codex resulted in the first ever CAC Chairman from an African country. Dr Claude Mosha of Tanzania was elected to the post for a term of one year and is eligible to stand for a second one-year term.