Consumer safety and food quality

Doc. 8485 revised (English only)

21 July 1999

Consumer safety and food quality

Recommendation 1389 (1998)

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 676^th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (1-2 July 1999)

The Committee of Ministers has given close attention to Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1389 (1998) on consumer safety and food quality and has decided to communicate the text to the European Commission for information.

The Committee of Ministers attaches the highest importance to the question of food safety. It draws the Assembly's attention to its reply to Recommendation 1213 (1993) on developments in biotechnology and the consequences for agriculture, which led to the organisation of the International Conference on ethical issues raised by the application of biotechnology in Oviedo on 16-19 May 1999. The proposals which may be submitted by the Steering Committee on Bioethics (CDBI) as a result of this Conference will be examined in due course by the Committee of Ministers.

The Committee of Ministers is aware that trends in farm produce technology are closely monitored by other European bodies, particularly the European Commission, and international bodies, such as the World Trade Organisation owing to their appreciable impact on international trade and public health. With a view to ensuring a concerted approach to the question of food safety, it has communicated Recommendation 1389 (1998) to the Public Health Committee (Partial Agreement) (CD-P-SP), the Steering Committee on Bioethics (CDBI) and the Standing Committee of the European Convention on the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes (T -AP), asking these three bodies to consult together and to submit opinions which also take into account the relevant activities within the European Commission and the WTO.