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Bob Lake, the U.S. delegate to the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology, said last week that while the United States is not opposed to a discussion of traceability at the commission meeting, it questions the concept's relevance to biotech foods, reports Food Chemical News.
Lake spoke on June 6 at a public meeting to discuss draft U.S. positions in preparation for the Codex meeting on July 2-7 in Geneva .
"The real issue is whether Codex is planning to take up traceability," Lake said. He claimed that the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Certification and Inspection Systems "is well suited to deal with the issue. That's our preference. There is some role for the Codex Committee on General Principles as well."
Earlier, Lake maintained that traceability covers more than biotechnology. "I don't think it has much to do with biotech," he continued. "The European Union's push [for biotech traceability regulations] is due to their mandatory labelling scheme. It's the only way they can make it work. Our instinct is that the costs don't justify traceability for the purposes of labelling. We would benefit from some [cost/benefit] data if anyone has any."
Mark Mansour, a partner in the Washington law firm Keller & Heckman, said, "It seems incongruous to be debating this issue. Traceability will cost billions internationally, and the objectives are uncertain at best. There is no relationship to food safety; it's just based on some amorphous right to know."
Different views between the US and Europe will no doubt lead to some heated debates in July.
Source: Food Chemical News.