Twenty representatives from Codex Contact Points (CCP) in the North America and Southwest Pacific region met in Port Vila, Vanuatu on 28-30 October 2018 for a workshop on the online systems that are an essential part of contributing to Codex standard-setting. Participants also came together to discuss regional input to the Codex Strategic Plan 2020-2025 and to continue work on two regional Codex standards, for noni juice and kava, both local beverages. The countries present were Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States [...]

Today the work of the Codex Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (TFAMR) was presented at the Second OIE Global Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance and Prudent Use of Antimicrobial Agents in Animals, which is taking place in Marrakesh, Morocco on 29-31 October 2018. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is focusing on ‘putting standards into practice’ at this year’s meeting. Speaking in the session on Surveillance and Monitoring towards Effective Management of Antimicrobial Resistance, Sarah Cahill, Senior Food Standards Officer with [...]

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is holding a webinar called “Medicated feed - an overview of regulations in the major animal source food markets of the world” on Monday, 5 November 2018 at 13:30–15:00 (GMT +2). Medicated feed is produced and used globally under various different regulatory frameworks. The seminar will be opened by Juan Lubroth, FAO Chief Veterinary Officer, and will feature a presentation by George Tice of Health for Animals, a Codex Observer and global federation representing manufacturers [...]

Burkina Faso launched its Codex Trust Fund 2 project in a workshop held on 12 October 2018 with the participation of different sectors involved in food safety and nutrition representing governmental and non-governmental structures, civil society as well as technical and financial partners. The country is now among the eight African countries to benefit from the Codex Trust Fund 2, following a call for applications. The project that will be implemented for three years, from 2018 to 2021, is intended [...]

This week Brisbane, Australia, is playing host to the 24th session of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS), discussing the latest technical aspects of international guidance to protect consumers and ensure fair practices in the international food trade. The meeting got under way on Monday with an aboriginal smoke-signal ceremony, a traditional Queensland custom granting permission to travelers seeking to cross its boundaries—a reminder that people have sought reciprocal understandings to protect their [...]

Ahead of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) meeting that opens next week in Brisbane, Australia, new Chair Fran Freeman spoke to Codex. Q. Many in the Codex world may not know you as you lead the upcoming CCFICS session for the first time. Can you tell us something about you? Having spent most of my career working on domestic and international issues affecting Australian agriculture, I am acutely aware how important it is for international [...]

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is holding a webinar on “Food Safety in a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency” on 23 October 2018 at 11:00-14:30 UTC. The web-based discussion aims to help national experts be prepared in case of an emergency involving a significant release of radioactive material into the environment that makes water, local produce, milk from grazing animals and other foods unsafe for consumption. The IAEA safety standards call for [...]

Tom Heilandt, Codex Secretary, and Professor Yong Ho Park, Chairperson of the Codex Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance, highlighted Codex food standards as panellists in two different sessions of the 2018 International Dairy Federation (IDF) World Dairy Summit in Daejeon, Korea, this week. “Food is more than just eating, but comfort,” Heilandt said in the keynote speech of the session on food safety. “We tend to take its safety for granted. Food is fragile. That’s why we need to work together to [...]

Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), expressed support for creating a World Food Safety Day on the margins of this year’s International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit in Daejeon, Korea, where he gave the keynote address on 15 October. “The development of a World Food Safety Day in the UN is good idea,” he said, recalling that the process to establish UN observances is driven by Member States. In a meeting with Tom Heilandt, Codex Secretary, and Professor [...]

Earlier this year, the Codex Secretariat launched a series of workshops  in the six Codex regions that are having a direct impact on the operational capacity of countries to engage in the standard-setting process. More participants are now expressing national positions via the Online Commenting System (OCS) and the Digital platform for Electronic Working Groups. Linked to the workshops, the Codex Secretariat is currently holding a series of follow-up webinars  tailored to users’ requests and may include the use of the OCS and [...]