If you review the history of Codex committees since 1963 there are occasional gaps in the meeting schedule and most of these in the early years of Codex as the programme gradually developed and expanded. Some committees do not meet every year and so the average number of sessions through the 1970s, 80s, 90s and up to the present day has grown from less than 10 in any calendar year up to 20 in 2019. What then to make of the [...]

In October 2019 the 21st FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Latin America and the Caribbean region (CCLAC) was interrupted after only two half days of discussions as demonstrations in Santiago, Chile forced the hosts to suspend the session. The region agreed to continue working electronically to complete the agenda and this work has culminated in an online session for report adoption that took place on 11 May 2020 with over 50 participants from 20 countries. Welcoming delegates to the online adoption, [...]

The Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Guilherme da Costa, Brazil, has written to FAO suggesting the cancellation of the 43rd Codex Alimentarius Commission session planned for July 2020 in Rome and to explore the opportunity to hold an online Executive Committee session to ensure that standard setting work can continue. In the communication, Da Costa expresses his concern that expert delegations will not be able to gather in Rome for the Commission not only due to global travel restrictions currently [...]

Anyone in the region under 30 years old can enter the contest called ‘Be young, be food-safe, be heard’. The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific is calling for submissions of photos or posters that depict a food safety topic or issue that occurs at any point in the food supply chain. Video entries should address a food safety issue that participants face in their daily lives, revealing the habits, practices, behaviours or norms that cause the issue [...]

En ces temps de confinement et de quarantaine, la disponibilité de produits alimentaires pour tous les foyers dépend plus que jamais de la sécurité et de l’efficacité de la chaîne d’approvisionnement alimentaire. En raison des mesures mises en place pour diminuer les contacts et éviter la propagation du coronavirus de personne à personne, il est devenu plus difficile d’acheter des denrées alimentaires dans les commerces et les marchés. Les gouvernements font tout leur possible pour assurer la disponibilité des denrées [...]

Grâce à la technologie de visioconférence, les membres du Comité exécutif du Codex ont organisé une réunion informelle en ligne le 2 avril 2020. Les débats ont porté sur l’annulation ou le report des réunions des organes subsidiaires et sur la manière de poursuivre au même rythme les activités d’établissement de normes déjà en cours. Le Président de la Commission du Codex Alimentarius, M. Guilherme da Costa (Brésil), a déclaré: «Dans notre domaine d’activité, nous constatons qu’il s’agit d’une situation complètement imprévue [...]

The coronavirus outbreak has interrupted the schedule of physical meetings in Codex and led to a rethink of how countries within the Codex community, with its continuous cycle of committees and working groups, can stay connected when international meetings seem off the agenda for the time being. On Tuesday 21 April 48 participants from 18 countries in the Codex CCAFRICA region, together with representatives from the African Union – Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources, the Economic Community of West African States, [...]

COVID-19 and the related response from governments across the globe has led to the postponement or cancellation of numerous Codex subsidiary body meetings scheduled to be held in 2020. However, food safety remains an important issue and the Codex Secretariat is working together with Host Secretariats, Chairs of Committees and Chairs/Vice-Chairs of Electronic Working Groups (EWGs) to ensure that the standards development work can continue even if the committees cannot meet this year. Tom Heilandt, Codex Secretary confirmed that electronic working groups [...]

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to interrupt the meeting and events schedules of all organizations worldwide, the Codex Secretariat in conjunction with the governments that host Codex meetings has announced that eight meetings have either been postponed or cancelled, calling into question whether the Codex Alimentarius Commission will go ahead in Rome, Italy in July 2020. In an extended interview, Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt explains the contingency plans being put in place to mitigate the loss of meetings from the Codex [...]

The host secretariat of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) has confirmed that the upcoming session, due to be held in San Diego, USA from 25-29 May 2020 has been postponed due to the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. In collaboration with the Codex Secretariat, discussions are underway to explore if the meeting could be rescheduled for early 2021 at the same location. Further details on new dates and on the work of the committee will be published [...]