Members and Observers of the Codex Alimentarius Commission are meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malyasia from 25 February to 1 March 2019 at the 26th session of the Codex Fats and Oils Committee. Discussions taking place include the addition of palm oil to the Codex Standard for Named Vegetable Oils; a proposed revision of the Standard for Olive Oils and Olive Pomace Oils; discussions on walnut oil, almond oil, hazelnut oil, pistachio oil, flaxseed oil and avocado oil, as well as [...]

Participants gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 6 to 7 February 2019 for a workshop entitled “Improving National Codex Capacities”, jointly organized by FAO and the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan (AFSA). National food control systems in Azerbaijan are undergoing significant change including the establishment of AFSA and the finalization of a food law. “FAO is responding to the request of the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan for support to strengthen the food safety control system, and develop national Codex activities”, said [...]

Over 700 delegates have gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for The First International Food Safety Conference, hosted jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU). Government leaders, senior policy makers, and representatives from international organizations, civil society and the private sector, will identify key actions and strategies to address current and future challenges to food safety globally; and to strengthen commitment at the highest political level to [...]

32 members of the different regulatory authorities tasked with managing food safety in Libya, together with experts from academia, gathered in Tunis, Tunisa 4-6 February 2019 for a workshop on developing national Codex capacities. The project is part of the Arab Food Safety Initiative for Trade Facilitation, known as the SAFE project, under which FAO is providing technical support through collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The Tunis workshop is part of a series that will train participants [...]

Thirty-eight participants from Yemen, Sudan and Egypt are currently meeting in Cairo for a three-day workshop on Codex Alimentarius and its procedures. Organized by the SAFE Codex Initiative with the support of FAO and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), this training is part of the planned activities under the Codex Expert Working Group work plan, aimed at helping countries in the Arabic region define priorities on food safety and Codex. “Effective coordination and raising the level of Arab participation [...]

Medicated feed is one important route for administering veterinary medicinal products to animals, in particular to animals intended for food production. It can be difficult to administer a veterinary drug to an animal, especially in the case of smaller species typically reared in large groups such as a flock of birds or a school of fish where there would be hundreds of animals that all need to be treated at the same time. The use of medicated feed provides an simple, [...]

Delegates from over 30 countries are meeting in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), India from 21 January 2019 to discuss draft Codex standards for selected spices and herbs that will eliminate trade barriers and strengthen food supply chains with safe food. Inaugurating the fourth session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs, Hon’ble Governor of Kerala, Justice (retd) Shri P Sathasivam said that “cultivators of spices should be encouraged to think globally and make use of the latest farming technologies to succeed [...]

The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) this year returns to the State of Kerala, meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital, 200km from the site of the inaugural meeting in Kochi held in February 2014. The meeting takes place 521 years after Vasco da Gama arrived at Calicut in Kerala following the first direct sea voyage from Europe to Asia and changed the spice trade forever. “Since time immemorial export of black white and green pepper has been a [...]

The role of animal nutrition and feed strategies and options for reducing the need to use antimicrobials in animal production was highlighted in a side event during a meeting of the Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance that took place in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 10 to 14 December 2018. The speakers summarized the current state of the art and recent insights on how diets, gut health and the immune system interact and could contribute to disease [...]

Today the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a World Food Safety Day. Starting in 2019, every 7 June will be a time to celebrate the myriad benefits of safe food. “World Food Safety Day will be a chance for everyone to take a moment to think about something we often take for granted: food safety”, said Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt. “Thanks to the widespread efforts of Codex Members and Observers, the international community will speak with one voice [...]