A dedicated section on the Codex website, now highlights activities of Observer organizations. In addition to front-page news articles and features, information on how to apply for observer status  and details of all current Observers is available. Currently, there are 229 Codex Observers – of which 57 are intergovernmental organizations, 156 nongovernmental organizations and 16 UN agencies. Food safety is a shared responsibility “Food safety is a shared responsibility, so it is important that governments can interact directly with producers, industry, consumers, [...]

At the WTO International Forum on Food Safety and Trade held in Geneva, Switzerland, 23-24 April 2019, delegates learnt how food safety regulatory systems need to constantly adapt to challenges and how Codex needs to address emerging and new challenges in a timely and efficient manner, while keeping existing standards up to date. Speaking in the thematic session “Promoting harmonized food safety regulation in a period of change and innovation”, Reri Indriani, Deputy Chairperson in the National Agency for Drug and [...]

Penny K. Lukito, Head of the Food and Drug Authority of the Republic of Indonesia opened the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF), held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia 29 April to 3 May, 2019 and stated how proud Indonesia was to once again be trusted with co-hosting a Codex meeting. Indonesia and The Netherlands are co-hosting CCCF13 The meeting is being attended by approximately 250 participants from 60 countries and in greeting delegates Wieke Tas, Chairperson from the permanent hosts of the [...]

The Netherlands began hosting the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food in 2007 and in the 13 sessions since then, five have been co-hosted abroad. When business gets underway on 29 April 2019, Yogyakarta, Indonesia will be the sixth foreign location. Cooperation with Indonesia … has been a joy When a country co-hosts they make a world-wide contribution to food safety. “The Netherlands and Codex have a long history together and co-hosting for us is a means to bring Codex and everything [...]

Senior officials of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA), Ministry Officials, experts from academia, students, representatives of the food industry and officials from FAO met in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 4 April 2019 to gain a full understanding of the national strategy for harmonization of food standards with Codex. Participants discuss national strategy for harmonization with Codex “This meeting was important to explain the purpose of harmonization, the process involved, how to participate and the benefits on a national level”, said Sanjay Dave, former [...]

A 12-year long impasse started to gradually unravel during the 51st session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA51) in March 2019, when Codex Members found a new compromise on how to mutually respect their regulatory differences while not preventing international harmonization. Among the standards that CCFA51 will send for adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in July 2019 are revised provisions for the General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) that concern the use of sweeteners in some food categories. [...]

In a search for alternative sources of meat and in response to concerns over meat consumption, animal welfare and greenhouse gas emissions, scientists have developed the ability to grow meat from animal cells in a laboratory. The process involves taking tissue from a live animal and extracting stem cells which are then grown into muscle fibres in a bioreactor. Developing awareness of emerging issues such as this is a key component of strategic planning in Codex.   Marianne Ellis, Bath University, produces cultured meat [...]

Experts meeting in Macau, China 8 to 12 April 2019, will be discussing a proposal to provide an international reference guideline for biopesticides. The project would establish criteria to identify pesticides that generally pose fewer risks than conventional pesticides and are considered by many national regulators exempt from the need to set maximum residue limits. This Codex guideline would help countries such as Chile, which is leading the work, as they and many other countries base their regulations on the Codex [...]

World Health Day celebrations on 7 April call for “Health for all – everyone, everywhere”, and we are reminded that the Codex vision of “safe, good food for everyone, everywhere” is a part of that agenda. But at least half of the people in the world do not receive the health services they need, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “Contamination of foods is the cause of a significant disease burden, which is distributed all over the world”, said Kazuaki [...]

Last week, at its 51st session in Jinan China, the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) adopted the changes needed to harmonise provisions in the 13 Codex Standards for ripened cheeses (Cheddar, Danbo, Gouda, Havarti, Edam, Samso, Emmental, Tilsiter, Saint Paulin, Provolone, Camembert, Brie and Coulommiers), removing an international trade challenge for exports of ripened cheeses. This is an important decision that will have a positive impact on the dairy sector. One of the major challenges for manufacturers, importers and exporters [...]