Interestingly, there is a meeting to be
held in Paris, France, scheduled a week after the standard
yearly Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special
Dietary Uses (26th Session) meeting. The 26th Session is
November 1-5th, 2004, in Bonn, Germany and three NHF
representatives (Scott Tips, Paul Anthony Taylor, and Sepp
Hasslberger-NGO's ), will be attending.
This gathering on November 8-12th 2004 in Paris, is entitled,
Agenda for the (Extraordinary) meeting of the Codex Committee
On General Principles. It is a Codex Committee on General
Principles meeting, attended by the joint agencies, FAO and
WHO Food Standards Program. FAO, being the Food & Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations and WHO, being the World
Health Organization.
What sparks concern is the listed provisional agenda,
specifically item # 6:
"Review of the Principles concerning Participation of
International Non-Governmental Organizations ( NGO's)
in the Work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission"
This surely implies that Codex plans to tighten up the rules
on NGO participation and that some NGOs are clearly seen as a
threat. There have been individuals in the health-freedom
movement who have misunderstood and felt that NGO's are just
"window-dressing." To coerce Codex into agenda specifically on
this matter, clearly shows our attendance is putting them on
the defensive and the value of our presence is
highly warranted.
The National Health Federation will have one of its
representatives attending this Paris, France meeting.
