The University of Malta news service, Newspoint, will mark World Food Safety Day this year, by highlighting an ‘eye-opening’ project in which the university is a partner. The 3-year-old Project PROTECT, being led by University College, Dublin, is examining foodborne microbial responses to climate change. For its part, the University of Malta’s Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, led by Professor Vasilis Valdramidis, is looking at, for example, the growth of different microorganisms in response to changing atmospheric conditions and [...]

The Codex Committee on Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) begins its first virtual session on 17 May 2021. This committee provides the A to Z of international methods for the verification of 100s of provisions in Codex standards developed by commodity committees, from acidity in fats and oils to zinc in vinegar. Codex Procedural Manual Principles for the Establishment of Codex Methods of Analysis Codex Standard 234 Recommended Methods of Analysis and Sampling This committee also serves as a coordinating body for Codex with [...]

The Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology & Food Science at the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK) is organizing a competition on Food Safety in celebration of World Food Safety Day 2021. All active undergraduate and postgraduate students at TEPAK can participate in the competition either individually or in groups of up to three students. Students are encouraged to produce submissions in the form of a photo, poster, photomontage or photo-history aimed at: Highlighting right and wrong practices of food processing and preservation Presenting [...]

The 14th session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF14) has recommended for adoption to the Codex Alimentarius Commission new maximum levels (MLs) for cadmium in chocolate. Codex MLs ensure food does not contain contaminants at levels which could threaten human health. The levels set for cadmium are 0.3mg/kg for the category of chocolate containing up to 30 percent cocoa total solids and 0.7mg/kg for the 30 to 50 percent category. Ecuador led the work on developing the new [...]

There are few statistics on the burden of foodborne disease in Bangladesh, according to the FAO-implemented programme, “Improving food safety in Bangladesh.” But what we do know is that unsafe food is a widespread and pervasive issue in the country, with diarrhoeal diseases, enteric fever and hepatitis presenting as the most prevalent foodborne diseases. So, the UN’s designation of a World Food Safety Day, to be celebrated annually on 7 June, was a clear signal to Bangladeshi food safety activists [...]

Au Burkina Faso, une équipe chargée d’organiser des activités pour la Journée internationale de la sécurité sanitaire des aliments (JISSA) s’est réunie à Ouagadougou, le 7 mai 2021, afin de définir un plan d’organisation de l’événement du 7 juin et les messages clés à diffuser au niveau national. Quelques-unes des préoccupations majeures en matière de sécurité sanitaire des aliments dans le pays sont l’utilisation abusive de pesticides dans les fruits, légumes et céréales et l’emploi de médicaments vétérinaires. Les ventes d’aliments [...]

Lantomalala Raharinosy Point de Contact du Codex de Madagascar  Malgré le contexte de la pandémie du covid 19 et les restrictions y afférentes, le Comité National du Codex Alimentarius de Madagascar a organisé deux jours de réunions (en partie virtuelles et en partie en présentiel) du 6 au 7 mai 2021 qui lui ont permis de rédiger son manuel de procédure et établir son plan triennal 2021-2023 sur la base du plan stratégique du Codex. Ces deux documents nous aideront certainement à [...]

Turkmenistan is among the recipient countries of the Codex Trust Fund. The country started the implementation of its project in January 2021 and in early April 2021, the key stakeholders working with Codex related issues gathered for an inception meeting and planning session. The inception meeting was followed up with a hands-on training on mechanisms and procedures for communication with Codex. The training was held on 29 April 2021 and attended by 16 participants representing State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service [...]

On 29 and 30 April 2021, Uzbekistan held the first meeting of the National Commission on Codex Alimentarius, since 2005, when it first joined Codex. The meeting was held in a hybrid, online format, with the participation of representatives of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, the State Veterinary Committee and development of animal husbandry, State Plant Quarantine Inspection and “Uzstandard” Agency. The meeting agreed that for Uzbekistan to effectively protect the health of consumers from unsafe food [...]

“No long-haul flights, no jet lag and a chance for team participation are some of the advantages of virtual meetings,” said Pisan Pongsapitch, Thailand one of over 350 delegates currently present at the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) hosted by The Netherlands from 3 to 7 May 2021. The virtual environment means a greater opportunity for more interested delegates to participate, who would otherwise not be able to take part in a physical meeting due to travel restrictions or [...]