In 1976 a Coordinating Committee for Latin America, established by the 10th Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1974, held its first meeting in Rome with eight countries from the region in attendance. At its third session a proposal was made to change the name of the committee to its current form (Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean) as this better reflected the membership of the region. In 1984 at its 31st session, the Executive Committee, acting on behalf of the Commission, agreed to this change.
The region of Latin America and the Caribbean is an important actor in the production and trade of food at a global level. The region produces enough food to supply itself and to export, with both water and land resources to produce even more.
The region has enormous natural wealth, a flourishing agricultural industry and a family farming sector that is essential for its population. The promotion and strengthening of food safety must be continued at the level of all regions to guarantee the health of consumers and fair and equitable trade.
The coordinator, Ecuador is based in AGROCALIDAD an agency attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. They aim to create synergies between countries in the region, to provide mutual support in order to overcome regional problems and examine solutions to common challenges.
The coordinator further aims to strengthen collaboration among countries and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the Commission and its subsidiary bodies.
Students of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the National University of Salta, Argentina, are invited to take part in a poster competition on the subject of “Food safety is everyone’s business” or “food safety: prepare for the unexpected”
Submission: 20–30 August 2024Evaluation by juries: 2–6 September 2024Award ceremony: 9 September 2024
For more information on the competition
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World Food Safety Day events this year
The Coordinating Committee for the Latin America and Caribbean region has concluded its 23rd session with the adoption of its report and agreement on a number of key points. Opening the final session, Chairperson Rommel Betancourt thanked participants and organizers of the side events organized for Thursday, and also thanked the Codex and CCLAC secretariats and interpreters. Upon adoption of the report and with his last act as Regional Coordinator, Betancourt declared, “We’re going to miss you all!! A big [...]
The 23rd session of the Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) has opened in a virtual session hosted by the Regional Coordinator, Ecuador.
Opening remarks were offered by guests Patricio Almeida, executive director of Ecuador’s Phyto and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control Agency (Agrocalidad), Gherda Barreto, FAO representative in Ecuador and Sonia Quezada, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) representative in Ecuador. Almeida highlighted the importance Ecuador attaches to its role as Regional Coordinator, listing the ways in which [...]
In the month of June the Ministry of Health of Peru (MINSA), through the General Directorate of Environmental Health and Food Safety (DIGESA) in conjunction with the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, through the National Agrarian Health Service of Peru (SENASA), and the Ministry of Production, through the National Fisheries Health Organization (SANIPES), organized an “Educational day for World Food Safety Day in Peru”. The event took place via the Zoom Platform and was aimed at a general population.
Likewise, [...]
The 23rd session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC23) will take place virtually, 22-26 July 2024. As Members and Observers prepare for the meeting, we sat down with Rommel Betancourt, Chairperson of CCLAC23, to talk about the agenda, his experience in leading Codex work in the region over the last four years, and much more. In this interview, Rommel also shares some memories recalling his first thoughts and feelings related to his new role [...]
The key actors in the FAO-implemented and Republic of Korea-funded Action to support implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT) project met for state-of-the-project discussions in the Plurinational State of Bolivia on 24–28 June.
The meeting, which started in La Paz, aimed to evaluate the progress of the ACT project, which is being implemented in six countries, and deliberate on the strategic direction for the upcoming years, including a thorough review of work plans. On the first day of meetings, representatives of [...]
On 7 June, OMEX Alimentaria, a Mexican food company involved in cold meats and dairy products, celebrated World Food Safety Day for the second consecutive year. This year, two production plants and eight distribution centres in the country participated, with more than 1 000 employees.
The event became a day of learning and fun, focused on the importance of maintaining high food safety standards throughout the production, distribution and sales chain. During the celebration, fun and educational activities were held, such [...]
The Salvadoran Technical Regulation Agency (OSARTEC), member of the National Quality Council (CNC), celebrated World Food Safety Day with the support of the International Regional Organization for Agricultural Health (OIRSA) with the motto “Prepare for the unexpected.”
OSARTEC is the organization responsible for raising awareness of the importance of participation in the development and use of Codex Alimentarius standards, which protect the health of consumers and the promote fair practices in international food trade. Within the framework of the celebration, the [...]
For the fourth consecutive year, the Regional Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO RLC), the Pan American Center for Foot and Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health of the Pan American Health Organization (PANAFTOSA/SPV-PAHO/WHO), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the International Regional Organization for Plant and Animal Health (OIRSA) and Ecuador as Coordinator of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC), jointly coordinated the CCLAC regional event [...]
FAO has launched its ambitious and wide-ranging global information system aimed at developing and strengthening operational national surveillance systems so they can efficiently contribute to generating reliable and timely antimicrobial resistance (AMR) evidence in animals and food at national, regional, and global levels. As part of the launch, FAO is calling on its Members to participate in the first InFARM annual open call for data in 2024.
The InFARM system consists of an IT platform and related FAO activities and builds [...]