ROME-A United Nations food body has set a blueprint to manage health risks form genetically modified (GM) foods, and has agreed minimum cocoa content for chocolate products, an official said last week.

More than 120 members states of the Codex Alimentarious, which sets food safety and quality standards adopted the guidelines by consensus at the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) head quarters last week said the Codex's secretary, Alan Randell.

The Codex, a joint body of FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO), have adopted texts for assessing and managing risks from biotechnology foods, including pre-market safety evaluations, product tracing and post-market monitoring. Codex's recommendations are not legally binding.

The Codex did not outline labelling guidelines for GMO (genetically modified organisms) foods which it is continuing to debate, Randell added. The Codex's member states meet formally every two years, but are in regular contact over food safety and quality matters.

The European parliament recently passed laws on to force labelling of all GM food in a move which could lead European Union (EU) states to lift an unofficial ban on GMO crops.

The regulations, which need the final approval of EU member governments, will require the food industry to segregate GMO from conventional crops and allow no more than 0.9% accidental mixing of GMO in non-GMO shipments to the EU.

Mr. Randell said the Codex had also adopted technical guidelines for scientific assessment of gene-modified plants, and on how to determine whether GM foods could trigger allergies in consumers.

The Codex also agreed standards for chocolate by consensus, setting a minimum 35% of cocoa solids in products marketed as "chocolate" and a minimum 20% in "chocolate type" products, such as 'chocolate flakes."

The guidelines are unchanged in terms of minimum cocoa solids content compared with previous Codex recommendations, but cover a wider range of "chocolate type" products, Mr. Randell said.

"This is very positive development because after all it is the variety of chocolate products that allows the market to expand," he said.

The Codex member states did not agree on quality standards for top-of-the-range "extra virgin" olive oil amid difference between traditional Mediterranean rim growers and olive oil producers in southern hemisphere countries.

The Codex member states ordered a survey to try to define quality standards for extra virgin olive oil, Mr. Randell said.