Q&A with CCFA Chair Dr Junshi Chen
The Codex Committee on Food Additives works to establish or endorse permitted maximum levels for individual food additives.
The 48th session begins in Xi'an, China on 14th March and we spoke earlier this week to Committee Chairman Dr Junshi Chen.
Q: As Professor at the China National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment, what are the major challenges currently facing the CFSA?
A: Serving as the CCFA Secretariat, the major challenge for CFSA is personnel capacity. The role of the CCFA Secretariat is not only to ensure the smooth conduction of its annual meeting, but should also provide more technical support to the Codex Secretariat (such as, report preparation), be more involved in maintaining and using the GSFA database (working together with the US delegation) and actively contacting delegations and observers to facilitate the CCFA annual sessions.
Q: You became Chair of this committee in 2007 at the 39th session when the CAC split additives and contaminants. How would you assess the progress of the committee since then?
A: It is quite obvious that the decision of splitting additives and contaminants is very successful. The increase of GSFA provisions and other food additive related standards submitted to the Commission for adoption is very significant.
Q: The first expert committee on food additives reported to CAC2 in 1964. In the report “anxiety" was expressed about the “extensive use of SO2 in foods in connection with low acceptable daily intake”. 52 years later, what has changed? What are today’s “anxieties”?
A: From the standard setting point of view, there is no obvious "anxiety" for the use of food additives. In general, the safe use of food additives is much improved and there are no outstanding cases of trade barriers due to a lack of international food additive standards. Of course, the misunderstanding on food additives in consumers is another issue that should be tackled by member countries.
Q: What would you like to see happening as the Committee continues to move forward?
A: The completion of GFSA and improvement in the alignment of food additive provisions in commodity standards with GFSA.
Q: At this session there is a full programme. What stands out for you?
A: Yes, as ususal, the programme of this session is quite heavy and there are a number of difficult issues. However, significant achievements are expected through the joint efforts of all delegations.
Q: Looking beyond the specifics of CCFA, what areas of food safety and fair practices in food trade, in your opinion, require particular attention from Codex in the coming years?
A: How to accelerate the process of Codex standard development needs particular attention.
Thank you Dr Chen
Links
Working documents for CCFA48