MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- A four-day conference opened here Tuesday to discuss international standards for genetically modified organisms and foods, bringing together some 300 participants from 36 countries.
The meeting of the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology, a body under the 165-member Codex Alimentarius Commission, aims to establish international standards and guidelines on GMO foods and other foods derived from biotechnology.
In his opening speech, Hartwig deHaen, assistant director general of the economic and social department at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, stressed the importance of the meeting, noting that the development of biotechnology has brought both benefits and caused consumers' concern over the safety of GM foods.