The Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) will be sending for final adoption by the next session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission a revision of the Codex Guidelines on Measurement Uncertainty (CXG 54 - 2004). Measurement uncertainty is part of the analytical process in food control of assessing whether food products meet relevant specifications. It enables results to be compared and is key to testing and decision making. Factors that can affect measurements during testing include changes in [...]

This year, 14 May marked the twentieth annual Food Safety Day in the Republic of Korea. Established to “raise public interest in food safety and promote safety awareness of food-related workers,” the event, organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, now extends to two weeks of awareness raising, awards and seminars. The Korean celebrations stand as an example to the newer World Food Safety Day, now in its third year. In a video address recorded for [...]

“It's great to be participating in a virtual event of CCMAS41 along with nearly 400 participants from around the world, seeking to agree standards for the sampling and analysis of foods” said Selvarani Elahi, UK delegate, currently present at the Codex Committee on Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) hosted by Hungary from 17 to 25 May 2021. The shift to virtual meetings for Codex technical committees in 2021 has seen a significant uptake in attendance particularly from [...]

The University of Malta news service, Newspoint, will mark World Food Safety Day this year, by highlighting an ‘eye-opening’ project in which the university is a partner. The 3-year-old Project PROTECT, being led by University College, Dublin, is examining foodborne microbial responses to climate change. For its part, the University of Malta’s Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, led by Professor Vasilis Valdramidis, is looking at, for example, the growth of different microorganisms in response to changing atmospheric conditions and [...]

The Codex Committee on Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) begins its first virtual session on 17 May 2021. This committee provides the A to Z of international methods for the verification of 100s of provisions in Codex standards developed by commodity committees, from acidity in fats and oils to zinc in vinegar. Codex Procedural Manual Principles for the Establishment of Codex Methods of Analysis Codex Standard 234 Recommended Methods of Analysis and Sampling This committee also serves as a coordinating body for Codex with [...]

The Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology & Food Science at the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK) is organizing a competition on Food Safety in celebration of World Food Safety Day 2021. All active undergraduate and postgraduate students at TEPAK can participate in the competition either individually or in groups of up to three students. Students are encouraged to produce submissions in the form of a photo, poster, photomontage or photo-history aimed at: Highlighting right and wrong practices of food processing and preservation Presenting [...]

The 14th session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF14) has recommended for adoption to the Codex Alimentarius Commission new maximum levels (MLs) for cadmium in chocolate. Codex MLs ensure food does not contain contaminants at levels which could threaten human health. The levels set for cadmium are 0.3mg/kg for the category of chocolate containing up to 30 percent cocoa total solids and 0.7mg/kg for the 30 to 50 percent category. Ecuador led the work on developing the new [...]

There are few statistics on the burden of foodborne disease in Bangladesh, according to the FAO-implemented programme, “Improving food safety in Bangladesh.” But what we do know is that unsafe food is a widespread and pervasive issue in the country, with diarrhoeal diseases, enteric fever and hepatitis presenting as the most prevalent foodborne diseases. So, the UN’s designation of a World Food Safety Day, to be celebrated annually on 7 June, was a clear signal to Bangladeshi food safety activists [...]

A team in Burkina Faso dedicated to organizing activities for World Food Safety Day, met in Ouagadougou on 7 May 2021 to set out a plan for the 7 June celebration and the key messages to disseminate nationally. Some of the major food safety concerns in the country include the misuse of pesticides in agriculture on fruits, vegetables and cereals and the use of veterinary drugs. Sales of street food without adequate food safety checks are also on the rise, as [...]

Lantomalala Raharinosy Codex Contact Point Madagascar Despite the context of the Covid 19 pandemic and related restrictions, the National Codex Alimentarius Committee of Madagascar held two days of meetings (partly virtual and partly face-to-face) from 6 to 7 May 2021 which made it possible to develop a procedural manual and establish a 2021-2023 three-year plan based on the Codex Strategic Plan. These two documents will certainly help us to facilitate the implementation of Codex activities and to improve the effective participation of [...]