Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Food Derived from Biotechnology (TFFBT)

Foods derived from biotechnology were first discussed by the 18th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) in 1989. CAC acknowledged the need to provide consumers with sound, science-based information that explained the application of biotechnology in food, and which clarified relevant safety issues, so in 1999, CAC23 agreed to establish an Ad Hoc Task Force on Food Derived from Biotechnology (TFFBT) to develop standards, guidelines or other recommendations on foods derived from biotechnology. The TFFBT would work in collaboration with relevant committees and take into account work already done by governments and agencies across the world. Japan was designated host of the Task Force, which would complete its work within four years. 

The preliminary report for TFFBT was delivered at CAC24, with proposed drafts of Principles for the risk analysis of foods derived from modern biotechnology (CXG 44-2003), Guideline for the conduct of food safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA plants (CXG 45-2003) and a request to work on a Guideline for the conduct of food safety assessment of recombinant-DNA microorganisms (CXG 46-2003). The These three texts were adopted by CAC26, which also recognized that this concluded the work of the task force.  However, CAC immediately started discussing a second task force, that was established by CAC47 

The second task force ran from 2004 to 2008 and introduced the Guideline for the conduct of food safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA Animals (CXG 68-2008) and an annex to CXG 45-2003. The second task force was dissolved at CAC31.