As the Codex food hygiene committee (CCFH) begins deliberations in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, delegations from around the world have emphasised the importance of one of the main items on the agenda. The revision of the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene (GPFH), has been described by Udo Wiemer from Germany as “the most important item of the upcoming session”. In many countries the Codex text forms the basis of national legislation. “In Indonesia GPFH are adopted identically to be [...]

The China International Food Safety & Quality (CIFSQ) Conference is currently underway in Beijing, China 30 to 31 October 2019. CIFSQ brings together 700 regulators, scientists, industry executives, and academics to share insights on food safety and protecting public health. The conference focuses on addressing critical food safety issues and seeks through dialogue and collaboration to identify advances in science, standards and the latest developments in innovative technologies that can serve governments and industry in safeguarding food. Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt Tom [...]

La cuenta de Twitter del Codex @FAOWHOCodex utiliza habitualmente la etiqueta o hashtag #CodexFamily♥, pero este alegre símbolo de amistad y unidad adquirió un nuevo significado la semana pasada a medida que las alteraciones en Santiago obligaron al Comité Coordinador FAO/OMS del Codex para América Latina y el Caribe a finalizar prematuramente la reunión después de solo dos días de deliberaciones. El Codex, donde el mundo se reúne para ocuparse unos de otros Con una seguridad personal sumida en la incertidumbre y [...]

Delegates from 16 member countries are gathered in Santiago, Chile 22 to 25 October, 2019 for the 21st FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Latin America and the Caribbean region (CCLAC). Diego Varela, Chairperson of the committee and International Affairs Coordinator at the Chilean Agency for Food Safety and Quality (ACHIPIA), extended a warm welcome to those present recalling the importance of collaboration and communication within countries to address food safety and trade issues in the region. Based on science. Marisa Caipo, Food Safety [...]

La región de América Latina y el Caribe tiene un tercio de los recursos de agua dulce del mundo, así como más de un cuarto de las tierras con potencial medio a alto para el cultivo. Es una de las mayores regiones exportadoras netas de alimentos del mundo y su producción agrícola sigue aumentando. Chile, elegido Coordinador Regional por primera vez en 2015, está desempeñando un segundo mandato que concluirá en 2020 en el 43.º período de sesiones de la [...]

A two-day training workshop for National Codex Committee (NCC) members and the officials of National Codex Contact Point (NCCP) of Bhutan was held from 15 to 16 October 2019 at Tashi Namgay Resort, Paro. The training workshop was organized by the Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA), Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, with the main objective to enhance the participation of Bhutan in the work of Codex through training of officials, including NCC members and by examining key areas [...]

More than 500 women from all over the country and more than 1000 participants gathered in Bobo-Dioulasso, the economic capital of western Burkina Faso to celebrate the 39th World Food Day from 14 to 16 October 2019. Government departments responsible for food and nutrition were mobilized for the event where the National Codex Alimentarius Committee also held an exhibition to raise awareness about Codex, the best actions and practices to ensure healthy food and healthy eating. This year's World Food Day [...]

A productive session at the Codex Committee for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables as four standards are sent for adoption to the next Codex Alimentarius Commission in July. “These hopefully soon to be adopted standards for kiwifruit, garlic, ware potatoes and yam represent a milestone in international standard setting activities", said Alfonso Guati Rojo, Chairperson of the committee. Rojo also saluted the hard work by delegates:  “Consensus is key for developing Codex standards”, he said and “in Mexico we will include [...]

Following the recent meeting of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Asia (CCASIA), the Codex Secretariat learnt that Dr Yayoi Tsujiyama retired from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan at the beginning of October. Dr. Tsujiyama, has long been involved in many multilateral food safety fora including Codex, serving as Vice-Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) from 2014-2017 and as Coordinator for CCASIA from 2011 to 2014. During her service as Vice-Chairperson of CAC, she also led the [...]

Mr Alfonso Guati-Rojo Sánchez, Chairperson of the Committee, welcomed delegates to the twenty-first session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: "It is an honor for Mexico to host CCFFV since 1988: we have been working continuously for 31 years and have managed to jointly build 37 international standards. This work directly contributes to ensure fair practices in food trade and to protect consumer health". Emphasizing the importance of consensus in timely completion of Codex standards Sánchez said, "it is important [...]