A packed conference room saw past, present and future Codex Trust Fund (CTF) beneficiary countries describe their experiences and share the key priorities for successful projects. The FAO/WHO Codex Trust Fund is in its fourth year of operation and, thanks to donor contributions, is now supporting 14 countries to build strong and sustainable national Codex systems that will allow all countries to participate fully and effectively in the work of Codex. In opening remarks at the Commission Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO [...]

“For 56 years, the Codex Alimentarius Commission has played a vital role both in protecting the health of consumers, and in ensuring fair practices in the food trade”, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, welcoming delegates to the forty-second session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission which is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, 8-12 July 2019. Codex standards and guidelines have a critical role to play in ensuring people have healthy diets and safe food and they are as important as ever [...]

As an expected 800 delegates gather in Geneva, Switzerland for the 42nd Codex Alimentarius Commission, 8-12 July 2019, recommendations from the Executive Committee (CCEXEC) include a final draft of the Codex Strategic Plan 2020-2025 and a pathway to discuss the role of science in standard setting. Three days of debate in CCEXEC held at WHO headquarters in Geneva have culminated in agreement on recommendations for adoption of new and revised Codex texts including draft guidelines for rapid risk analysis following instances [...]

Officials of the Governments of Bhutan, India and Nepal launched a joint Codex Trust Fund Project at a workshop held in New Delhi, India 21 June 2019. The project includes a mix of group and individual activities and will run for a period of three years. Year one will see a workshop on risk assessment, advocacy and awareness programmes and training for capacity building on Codex standard setting procedures and processes. Ms. Rita Teaotia, Chairperson, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India [...]

The Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CCEXEC) brings together strategists and technical experts from Codex Member Countries who are meeting this week at World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Kazuaki Miyagishima, Director of the Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses in WHO, speaking on behalf of Naoko Yamamoto, Assistant Director-General, Head of the newly created Universal Health Coverage/Healthier Populations Division, welcoming delegates, said “Codex standards and guidelines have critical roles to play in ensuring people have healthy [...]

The first ever World Food Safety Day was celebrated on Friday, 7 June 2019, a partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization. With two major initiatives planned for the day, the team of Renata Clarke, FAO Sub-regional Coordinator along with Karen Polson-Edwards Advisor, Climate Change and Environmental Determinants of Health - PAHO/WHO Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean started early with a 7:30AM journey to the Starcom Network studios for two [...]

On the first ever World Food Safety Day, the FAO Liaison Office with the European Union and Belgium (FAOLOB) partnered with the local non-profit, Cultureghem. The European Regional Development Fund co-financed project is located in the area of Kuregem in Anderlecht, Brussels, next to the 40 000 square meter central marketplace of Abattoir which attracts over 100 000 visitors every week. The market is one of the biggest in Belgium. Each week, Cultureghem organizes different workshops such as cooking meals [...]

Following the International Forum on Food Safety and Trade, held at the WTO, in Geneva, Switzerland, on 23-24 April 2019, with the support of FAO and WHO, a joint statement from the three organizations has highlighted the valuable work of the Codex Alimentarius. As global trade in food products expands and value chains become more complex, the development of international food safety standards for application at domestic levels and in international trade has become more important than ever before.  Consumers have [...]

Friday 7 June 2019 saw countries all over the world come out in support of safe food. From the islands of the South West Pacific to the heart of Europe, from all over Asia to North and South America and all countries in between, governments, producers, food processors and consumers underlined that food safety is everyone’s business. Prime Minister Modi, India offered his support and described the day “of prime importance for … well-being and health”, especially of women and children [...]

Representatives of government, food safety experts, industry and UN specialized agencies gathered in Rome on 7 June 2019 to ramp up efforts to combat foodborne illness and reaffirm that food safety “is everyone’s business” on the inaugural World Food Safety Day. Carlos Mora Gómez, Vice-Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce, Costa Rica Carlos Mora Gómez, the Vice-Minister of Economy Industry and Commerce from Costa Rica underlined how national governments, as decision-makers and policy-makers, have the challenge of guaranteeing access to safe [...]