On 3–4 October 2024, in Samarkand, a workshop was organized for food safety officers and scientific research institutes from national and regional levels, within the framework of the project on “Strengthening National Capacities for Sustainable Implementation of the Codex Alimentarius in Uzbekistan". The project is funded by the Codex Trust Fund Project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), and aims to strengthen national capacities for sustainable implementation of the [...]

The 44th session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU44) has opened in Dresden, Germany, with high-level contributions from relevant ministries and co-chaired by Martine Püster and Carolin Bendadani. In a video message, the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Cem Özdemir, highlighted the importance of Codex work generally and CCNFSDU work specifically. “Conflicts, wars and the climate crisis are threatening food security. Codex Alimentarius … bear[s] a special responsibility since safe food is [...]

Since 2022, Codex secretariats and FAO officers have been providing specialized training to new government officers entering the field of Codex work. This year, four Codex and FAO officers participated in a training programme organized by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea, held on 26 September. Nearly 40 young officers from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries attended [...]

The FAO-implemented and Republic of Korea-funded Action to support the implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) Project was featured at the 4th Global Conference on Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance (GCFA), held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on September 24–25, 2024. At the conference opening, Yu Kyung Oh, Minister of Food and Drug Safety for the Republic of Korea, underscored the importance of the One Health approach, which links human, animal, and environmental health in tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Minister Oh reiterated Korea's [...]

To strengthen capacity for better and more effective participation in Codex work for some Asian countries, the FAO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific (FAORAP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan, jointly organized the regional workshop on Proposal for Codex New Work: Criteria and Structure, 25­–27 September 2024, in Tokyo Japan. The workshop is part of a wider FAO-implemented five-year programme, Enhancing Capacity in Codex for Effective Participation and Contribution of Selected Countries in [...]

Codex texts have been recognized by the second High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) that took place at the United Nations headquarters in New York on 26 September, as a basis for managing the spread of AMR within the food and agriculture sectors. In the political declaration that was adopted following the meeting, members of the United Nations General Assembly recognize the growing and urgent threat posed by AMR globally, and “the need to scale up multisectoral, cross-sectoral and inter-disciplinary [...]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is known as “the silent pandemic.” It is already a leading cause of death worldwide. If AMR is not tackled head on, it will continue to threaten many lives in the coming years. Consequently, AMR is a major focus of attention for FAO as food production contributes to the development of antimicrobial resistant organisms. Given the threat of foodborne AMR, FAO has undertaken the Action to support implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT) project with funding from the [...]

The Codex Alimentarius Commission Chairperson, Steve Wearne, was “surprised and honoured” to be awarded a certificate marking his election as a Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFST), following his delivery of the distinguished lecture at the IAFSTinduction ceremony of the 22nd World Congress of the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST). In the lecture, Wearne gave his personal thoughts on the need for Codex to take an integrated approach to the work of food [...]

New Delhi, India, 21 September 2024 India recently hosted a Regional Conclave on “Enhancing Regional Collaboration and Harmonization in Standard Setting” as part of this year’s Global Food Regulators Summit (GFRS24). The summit saw food regulators from around 70 countries exchange perspectives on ways to strengthen food safety systems and regulatory frameworks across the food value chain. The event included panel discussions on critical aspects such as food safety, risk assessment, analytical competence, and capacity-building initiatives, which impact the food safety [...]

The forty-fourth meeting of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) will take place 2–6 October in Dresden, Germany. We spoke to Martine Püster and Carolin Bendadani, who will co-chair CCNFSDU44 on behalf of Germany, to find out more about their expectations for the meeting and the committee. Martine, Carolin, thanks for your time. Martine let’s start with you. This is the second time you will chair CCNFSDU. What do you recall of the experience of [...]