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 [...]

Members and Observers from over 30 countries will meet in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico from 7 to 11 October 2019 to develop standards at the 21st session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV). Chaired by Alfonso Guati Rojo Sánchez, Director General for Standards in the Ministry of Economy, Mexico, the meeting will examine a range of standards where the committee is close to proposing adoption to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, including kiwifruit, garlic and ware potatoes. Countries [...]

Vice-minister of Health, Kazakhstan, Ms L. Aktayeva (main picture) welcomed delegates to the thirty-first session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Europe. "I am confident that active participation of delegates in this meeting will make a significant contribution to solving various issues in the field of food safety, which will strengthen health of people and nations", she said. Drawing on the impetus of the Sustainable Development Goals Aktayeva said, “Codex standards are directly related to food safety and fair practices [...]

The European region is not only the largest in the Codex Alimentarius Commission but is probably the most diverse. It resembles a bridge between the West and the East. It is symbolic that for the first time, Kazakhstan, geographically located both in Europe and in Asia currently serves as coordinator for the region. The FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Europe (CCEURO) will bring together in Almaty, Kazakhstan,  from 30 September to 4 October 2019, delegates and observers from 51 countries that make [...]

Work over the first two days in Goa has explored how countries in the region can best respond collectively to the big questions regarding food safety and international food trade. Current realities such as the need for countries to continue to adopt Codex Standards for maximum permitted residue levels for pesticides and combatting the threat of antimicrobial resistance are always relevant to the region. Delegates also bring experiences to the regional meeting on how to deal with food fraud especially [...]

Delegates from 18 member countries are gathered in Goa, India 23 to 27 September, for the 21st FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Asian region (CCASIA). Sunil Bakshi, Chairperson of the committee and Head of Regulations at the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), extended a warm welcome to those present emphasising that the main objective of CCASIA is to promote mutual communication and resource sharing to develop regional standards and regulations for food products. A great opportunity to work together. Rita [...]

“Asian countries play a key role in the global supply chain”, said Codex Vice Chairperson Purwiyatno Hariyadi as delegates from the Codex Asia region gathered in Goa, India for the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Asia (CCASIA), 23 to 27 September 2019. This meeting is an opportunity for countries to meet and discuss their common concerns and “ensure the standards that advance in the Codex system are relevant” he said. A packed agenda will deal with the food safety issues that the [...]

Food safety experts and officials from Mali took part in the launch of a Codex Trust Fund project on Thursday, 12 September 2019 at the International Conference Center in Bamako. The launch was chaired by Sékou Oumar Dembélé, technical advisor of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and is part of national capacity building programmes to strengthen food safety in Mali This initiative aims to inform and raise awareness amongst all stakeholders dealing with food safety and nutrition in the [...]

The 15th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and South West Pacific, is taking place in Port Vila, Vanuatu 16-20 September 2019. Addressing delegates at the opening ceremony, the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity, Moses Amos, speaking on behalf of the Minister, urged Codex to deal with the many modern-day challenges affecting food safety and trade in the region. develop policies which best suit our situations “Our region, comprising four of the [...]