The Codex informal webinar series continues on 23 April 2021 as experts leading work on the main agenda items at the Codex committee on veterinary drugs in food meet online to discuss how work has progressed since the last session held in 2018 in Chicago. The webinar series in general has been an opportunity to bring the Codex comunity up to speed on a range of technical topics moving through the standard development process.   The residues of veterinary drugs in food [...]

This year is going to be a big challenge for the Codex system as the technical committees that were suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic prepare to operate for the first time virtually. Experiences with the smaller Executive Committee and the success of the 43rd Commission have shown that both small and large groups can be brought together on line, but how easy will it be, operating virtually, to iron out more complex, technical differences on pesticides, contaminants or [...]

The “Brexit” agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union reached on 24 December 2020 was described by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as a “fair and balanced” deal. The treaty is expected to receive the support of all 27 member states and will be “provisionally applied” at the end of the year. Chapter 3 of the agreement describes collaboration on sanitary and phytosanitary measures with the objective of “enhanced cooperation” in international organizations including the Codex Alimentarius. [...]

With three sessions of CAC43 already completed, ten standards and six new work proposals have been adopted by the Commission, meeting for the first time ever virtually. Over 120 Members and more than 50 Observer organizations have participated so far and the next plenary session will be on Monday 12 October, 12:00 CET. Listed below are the standards, guidelines and codes of practice that will be adopted into the Codex Alimentarius and the proposals for new work that have been approved. As [...]

The Codex Alimentarius Commission approved a standard for kava products for use as a beverage when mixed with water today. “The work started way back in 2004 in Apia, Samoa, and has taken 16 years to get here,” explained the representative of Vanuatu on behalf of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and South West Pacific (CCNASWP), the region where the standard will be used. Kava is part of the culture and the economy of the Pacific Islands. The root of [...]

Le Secrétaire du Codex, Tom Heilandt, a aujourd’hui confirmé que la Commission du Codex Alimentarius tiendra en 2020 la première réunion virtuelle de son histoire. La quarante-troisième session de la CCA, qui devait initialement avoir lieu à Rome au mois de juillet, se tiendra finalement en ligne, tout en respectant les valeurs d’inclusion et de transparence du Codex. Cent trente-six membres du Codex s’étaient prononcés en faveur d’une session virtuelle avant la date limite fixée au 23 août (HNEC), [...]

Les délégations de 85 pays membres du Codex et 40 organisations ayant statut d’observateur se sont retrouvées en ligne le 28 juillet 2020 à l’occasion de ce qui pourrait être considéré comme une répétition en vue de la quarante-troisième session de la Commission du Codex Alimentarius, prévue pour septembre 2020. Après le succès de la réunion virtuelle du Comité exécutif, la communauté du Codex commence désormais à se représenter les éléments nécessaires, les méthodes de préparation et les attentes pour [...]

“Not only was this session the first full Codex committee meeting held by correspondence, it also took place during the very challenging and unexpected COVID-19 pandemic.” reflected Richard Boyd, Chairperson of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV) as he concluded the 29th Session of the CCPFV on July 29th 2020.  Having worked by correspondence from January to July 2020, the Committee proposed five standards for adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. These include standards for dried fruits, [...]

The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges to our way of living, interacting and working. The way we have worked internationally to date has been turned on its head. With the cancellation of almost all physical Codex meetings for 2020, it is now essential to look to new ways of continuing the work. The 79th session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission successfully met virtually between 13 and 20th July 202. In the current context, if [...]

La soixante-dix-neuvième session du Comité exécutif de la Commission du Codex Alimentarius (CCEXEC) a recommandé que des textes essentiels du Codex sur l’hygiène alimentaire et la gestion des allergènes alimentaires, ainsi qu’une série de normes produits régionales et mondiales – visant des produits comme le kava, la sauce au piment, le kiwi, l’ail ou encore l’igname – soient transmis pour adoption à la prochaine session de la Commission, la quarante-troisième. Cette session aura lieu en ligne à partir de la [...]