Experts gathered in Geneva, Switzerland 16-17 July 2019 for the first meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Nutrition (JEMNU). The Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) is currently discussing the most appropriate nitrogen to protein conversion factor (or factors) to use in estimating protein content of soy-based ingredients and milk-based ingredients used in infant formulas and follow-up formulas. The current approved Codex methodology to determine protein is to detect nitrogen and then convert to protein [...]

The Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) is updating its keystone text to create a one-stop shop for methods of analysis that will ensure easy access for those using Codex standards. The General Standard on Methods of Analysis and Sampling, CX234, supports many of the other standards in Codex by providing the methods necessary to ensure compliance with Codex texts. The adoption of a new general structure for this fundamental standard at CAC42 in July 2019 heralds a new [...]

The Codex Alimentarius Commission has adopted a new strategic plan for the period 2020-2025 to advance the mandate of Codex for the next five years, underpinning the high priority for food safety and quality that Members and the parent bodies FAO and WHO envisage for Codex in carrying out its responsibilities and unique purpose to protect consumer health and ensure fair practices in the food trade. The plan highlights a new focus on promoting the relevance and use of Codex standards [...]

Speaking at the margins of CAC42 at a side event on capacity building initiatives, representatives of FAO and WHO emphasized the importance of the tools they develop based on relevant Codex texts, which enable countries to better understand and apply standards in their national context. The latest in the series is the Joint FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool, which has been piloted in numerous countries across several regions. “A system will only work if all its components are looking towards [...]

International governmental and non-governmental organizations, taking advantage of the global interest generated by the International Food Safety Conference in Addis Ababa in February 2019, discussed the Future of Food and the role Codex can play when dealing with e-commerce, during an event held at the Codex Alimentarius Commission in Geneva on 11 July 2019. Panellists discussed the challenges facing regulatory bodies and Codex as shopping online redirects the path our groceries take from farm to fork, offering consumers ever greater choice [...]

Over 100 countries have agreed a range of standards that will now be published as part of the Codex Alimentarius. New work also filling the future Codex agenda Garlic The Standard for dried or dehydrated garlic is the result of the Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs decision in 2017 to elaborate groups of standards by plant parts (as used in the spices and culinary herbs industry) to ease the development of quality specifications by eliminating duplication and thereby facilitating the work of [...]

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 [...]