Food and Agriculture Organization of the Orden de los libros

The annual Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and the WHO Core Assessment Group on Pesticide Residues was held in Geneca, Switzerland from 20 to 29 September 2011. The Meeting was held in pursuance of recommendations made by previous Meetings and accepted by the governing bodies of FAO and WHO that studies should be undertaken jointly by experts to evaluate possible hazards to humans arising from the occurrence of pesticide residues in foods. This report contains information on ADIs, ARfDs, maximum residue levels, and general principles for the evaluation of pesticides. The recommendations of the Joint Meeting, including further research and information, are proposed for use by Member governments of the FAO and WHO and other interested parties.

At this session, three substances were evaluated for the first time for the animal species concerned, avilamycin, monensin and narasin. Four substances were reassessed, dexamethasone, tilmicosin, triclabendazole and tylosin. The residue monographs provide information on chemical identity and properties of the compounds, pharmacokinetics and metabolism, residue depletion studies and analytical methods validated and used for the detection and quantification of the compounds. This publication and other documents produced by JECFA contain information that is useful to those who work with or are involved with recommending or controlling maximum residue limits for veterinary drugs in foods.

The Codex Alimentarius, or the food code, has become the global reference point for consumers, food producers and processors, national food control agencies and the international food trade. This booklet was first published in 1999 to foster a wide understanding of the evolving food code and of the activities carried out by the Codex Alimentarius Commission - the joint FAO/WHO body responsible for compiling the standards, codes of practice, guidelines and recommendations that constitute the Codex Alimentarius. Since the first publication there have been many changes to the way in which the Codex works. A new edition of the popular booklet is therefore timely and necessary for understanding the Codex Alimentarius in the twenty-first century.

The Procedural Manual of the Codex Alimentarius Commission is intended to help Member Governments participate effectively in the work of the joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The manual is particularly useful for national delegations attending Codex meetings and for international organizations attending as observers. It sets out the basic Rules of Procedure, procedures for the elaboration of Codex standards and related texts, general principles and guidelines for the acceptance of Codex standards by governments, basic definitions and guidelines for the operation of Codex committees. It also gives the membership of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

The Codex Alimentarius (Latin for "food law" or "food code") is a collection of internationally adopted food standards. Food labelling is the primary means of communication between the producer and seller of food on the one hand and the purchaser and consumer on the other. The standards and guidelines on food labelling published in various volumes of the Codex Alimentarius are now collected and republished in this compact format to allow their wide use and understanding by governments, regulatory authorities, food industries and retailers, and consumers. This fourth edition includes additional texts adopted by the Codexlimentarius Commission up to 2005.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission at its twenty-sixth session in 2003 adopted overarching principles on the risk analysis of foods derived from modern biotechnology and guidelines for food safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA plants or produced using recombinant-DNA micro-organisms. This compact volume contains these adopted texts to promote wide use and understanding of the risk analysis process of food derived from modern biotechnology by governments, food industries and consumers.

This document contains the proceedings of the Subregional Workshop on Land and Water Information Systems (LWRIS) in the Caribbean, held in Barbados in October 2000. The meeting was organized by FAO Land and Water Development Division (AGL), in collaboration with the Caribbean Agricultural and Research Development Institute. LWRIS experiences in the countries are presented as well as recommendations for future collaboration in database development, reporting and exchange of information, expertise and experience in land and water management in the region and the implementation of regional projects. This includes the preparation of national and regional reports on the state of land, water and plant nutrient resources in the Caribbean for dissemination through the Caribbean Land and Water Resources Network (CLAWRENET) Web site that is linked to Web sites in the countries and with the AGL Web site.

With increased public concern regarding food safety, greater demands are placed on risk communicators to involve the public and other interested parties in an interactive dialogue and to explain the magnitude and severity of risks associated with foodborne hazards in clear and comprehensible terms that convey credibility and trustworthiness. This requires communicators to recognize and overcome gaps in knowledge as well as obstacles inherent in the uncertainties of scientific risk assessment. This document is the report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on the Application of Risk Communication to Food Standards and Safety Matters was held from 2-6 February 1998 at the Italian Ministry of Health, Rome.

Chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) is a pelagic species which inhabits warm and temperate coastal waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The species is of great importance for fisheries worldwide; in 1978, it ranked third in importance in catches by species (3.4 million tonnes), while in 1979 and 1980 it ranked fourth and fifth, with 2.8 and 2.6 million tonnes, respectively. In 1966, the species ranked fifth with a worldwide catch of 2.1 million tonnes. It is mainly caught with purse seines, sometimes using light, and also by trolling, lines, gillnets, traps, beach seines and midwater trawls.