Headlines

1 "Codex Alimentarius"

Guideline for Organic Livestock Approved

The Secretary Office of Codex Alimentarius Commission in Rome, Italy has released an official report on the recent meeting in Ottawa, Canada held from May 9-12, 2000. The following is an extraction of "Organic on Livestocks" related part of the report while a full report of the meeting is available at the Codex’s official web site;
http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/economic/esn/CODEX/Default.htm

Codex Alimentarius Commission
(FOOD AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF UNITED NATIONS)

The Report of the 28th Session of the Codex
on Food Labelling(ALINORM 01/22)
("Organic" related part only)

Draft Guidelines for the Production,
Processing, Labelling and Marketing
of Organically Produced Foods

ALINORM 01/22

JOINT FAO/WHO FOOD STANDARDS PROGRAMME
CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION

Twenty-fourth Session Geneva, 2-7 July 2001

REPORT OF THE TWENTY-EIGHTH SESSION OF THE CODEX COMMITTEE ON FOOD LABELLING

Ottawa, Canada, 5-9 May 2000

GMO Issue Unsettled

(An information)

The following is an article appeared in AP web prior to the Codex meeting started.

The Associated Press
Monday, May 8, 2000; 9:45 p.m. EDT

OTTAWA - Delegates from around the world begin meetings today in another effort to devise United Nations approved rules for labelling genetically modified foods.

The future of the biotech food industry could be shaped by decisions made at the four-day conference of Codex Alimentarius, a U.N. body that deals with food standards.

The United States and European Union are in opposing camps in the bureaucratic battle. Canada, which heads up a key committee on food labeling, is trying to find a compromise.

One proposal, favored by the United States, would require genetically altered food to be labeled if it raises some risk to health or environmental safety.

A rival proposal, favored by the European Union, would required all foods to be labeled even if there is no identified risk.

Margaret Kenny, an official with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said Canada will seek to combine the two propositions.

"Canada supports mandatory labeling for health and safety matters," Kenny said in an interview Monday. "We're also very supportive of the need for uniform international standard.

"We're certainly hopeful at this meeting there's going to be some ideas on the table, where we can talk about getting the best of both proposals."

The outcome could have an important impact on the fast-growing biotech industry.

(C) Copyright 2000 The Associated Press

3 A magazine in Tokyo called  "Mens Extra" reported the Organic Reataurant boom in California.

These contents are a partial extraction from the web sites available at Chez Panisse and The French Laundry.

ABOUT CHEZ PANISSE

Chez Panisse opened its doors in 1971, started by Alice Waters and an assortment of idealistic friends. A neighborhood bistro named after a character in Marcel Pagnol's 1930's trilogy of movies ("Marius," "Fanny," and "Cesar"), the Restaurant and Cafe are a homage to the sentiment, comedy and informality of these classic films.

From the beginning, Alice and her partners tried to do things the way they would like them done at a dinner party at home. The Restaurant downstairs has always offered only one fixed-price menu, of three to five courses. The menu changes every night, designed to be appropriate to the season and composed to show off the finest ingredients obtainable. The Cafe upstairs serves both lunch and dinner from an la carte menu that also changes daily.

Alice and Chez Panisse have become convinced that the best-tasting food is organically grown and harvested in ways that are ecologically sound, by people who are taking care of the land for future generations. The quest for such ingredients has largely determined the restaurant's cuisine. Chez Panisse has tried for years to make diners here partake of the immediacy and excitement of vegetables just out of the garden, fruit right off the branch, and fish straight out of the sea. In doing so, Chez Panisse has stitched together a patchwork of over sixty nearby suppliers, whose concerns, like the restaurant's, are environmental harmony and optimal flavor.

Please visit "Chez Panisse" home page at http://www.chezpanisse.com/main.html

Thomas Keller is chef and owner of The French Laundry in Yountville, California.

Keller, renowned coast to coast for his innovation and dedication, has received numerous accolades throughout his career. Most recently he was named 1997 "Outstanding Chef: America," and last year was named 1996 "Best American Chef:   California" by the James Beard Foundation. Keller also received Restaurants & Institutions' 1996 Ivy  Award. The French Laundry has been praised by Esquire, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, New  York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco  Chronicle and Wine Spectator, to name a few. In addition, Keller has been chosen as a spokesperson for the California Milk Advisory  Board for 1997 and 1998.

Born in Southern California, Keller, 41, is a veteran of many of the great restaurant kitchens of the world. He first gained recognition at La  Reserve and Restaurant Raphael in New York, where he earned national exposure. To further his expertise, he moved abroad and served an "estagiere" apprenticeship throughout France in the kitchens of Guy Savoy, Michael Pasquet, Gerard Besson, Taillevant, Le  Toit de Passey, Chiberta and Le Pre Catalan.

After Keller returned to New York he opened Rakel, where he received front page coverage on New York Magazine's "Ask Gael" issue. Four years later, Keller moved to California and joined the Ayala Hotel Group as executive chef of Checkers Hotel in Los Angeles.

Keller purchased The French Laundry in 1994, with the goal of creating a three-star country French restaurant in the heart of the Napa Valley. Keller's restaurant offers a sublime dining experience set in a charming turn-of-the-century stone building, surrounded by lush gardens.  In addition, Keller is the founder and owner of EVO, Inc., a nationally distributed retail line of premium California olive oils and vinegar.

Please visit "The French Laundry" home page at http://www.sterba.com/yountville/frenchlaundry

4 Organic Related Links

Please Click here

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