As the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) begins in Budapest, we spoke to Attila Nagy who takes over as Chairperson at this session. A veterinarian and microbiologist, in November 2018 Attila was appointed Director of the newly established Food Chain Safety Laboratory Directorate in Hungary. Attila, thanks for your time. You were born just two years after Hungary started hosting CCMAS. What, in your view, are the three major changes in analytical methods that have taken place [...]

Guinea launched its Codex Trust Fund 2 project at a workshop held on 14 and 15 May 2019, which was marked by the presence of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Industry and SMEs, the Minister's Adviser on responsibility for Quality and Innovation, the DG of the Guinean Institute for Standardization and Metrology, the President of the National Codex Committee and the participation of the relevant ministerial departments (health, agriculture, livestock, fisheries, environment, trade, finance, cooperation) as well as [...]

A delegation led by the Codex Alimentarius Regional Coordinator for Europe, Nailya Karsybekova, visited the Republic of Armenia from 29 to 30 April and the Republic of Moldova on May 2 and 3, to enhance participation of these countries in Codex. During the mission, meetings were held at the Ministries of Agriculture, Ministries of Health, the Inspection Bodies for Food Safety, and at the FAO and WHO Country Offices. "The visits to Armenia and Moldova provided an opportunity to meet top-level [...]

People involved in the various activities along the food supply chain came together in Kwanghwamoon Square in Seoul, Korea on 10 May to celebrate the 18th of Korean Food Safety Day. This initiative kicks off the numerous celebrations that promise to mark the newly established World Food Safety Day. Lee Eui Kyung, Minister of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea said, “The World Food Safety Day is a great achievement of international collaboration”, which will highlight that “food [...]

Interview with Kathy Twardek, the new chairperson of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling, ahead of the 45th session which gets underway in Ottawa, Canada on 13 May 2019. Kathy, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. To start, tell us where you work? I have been working for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) since it was established in 1997, and for a few years before that in various departments whose focus was on consumer affairs and food inspection. Why [...]

  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 [...]