The 27th meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS27) has opened in Cairns, Australia, With remote participation possible for all plenary sessions.

“It is my great pleasure and honour to be the new Chairperson of CCFICS and to have the task of guiding the Committee through its 27th meeting,” said the newly appointed Chairperson, Tom Black, Australia, who introduced the speakers that opened the meeting.

Welcome remarks were given by Gavin Singleton, Yirrganydji Traditional Owner and Project Manager at the Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation, a local Aboriginal community-based organization, who opened his remarks speaking in his native tongue. Singleton then went on to describe the first nations peoples that live in the area of Cairns and the historical and cultural connectedness of these peoples to the land and their long cultural memory of place, extending long before buildings were first erected in Cairns in 1876. He explained, too that the area is full of cultural heritage sites that tell a story of connection, and especially of the importance of landscape and the environment. He expressed the wish that one day the people of the area would depend on local foods and medicines, rather than having to import them.

A pre-recorded message from the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins MP, was then played out, in which the Minister described the important role of the agricultural sector in both nature and the economy of Australia. She acknowledged the importance of the harmonization of approaches to the food trade that CCFICS supports, commenting that food systems are complex and changing, requiring CCFICS to keep up with technological advances and emerging issues. It is important, she said, to promote transparent regulatory frameworks for the trade in food.

Adam Fennessy, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, then spoke virtually from Brisbane and welcomed Codex Members and Observers to the meeting. He said he was encouraged and pleased to see “strong and growing” participation in the Committee. CCFICS, he said, holds a unique place in Codex, examining as it does, how systems can ensure food is safe and can be traded. He noted the Committee has already shown its ability to respond to emerging challenges and changes, with the development of texts on third party assurance, paperless trade and remote audit and inspection.

Catherine Bessy, Food Safety Officer at FAO and Akio Hasegawa, from the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at WHO then delivered remarks from their respective organizations, and Raj Rajasekar, Vice-Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission also spoke on behalf of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons. Sarah Cahill, Codex Secretary, also delivered remarks, noting that CCFICS is the first general subject committee to be convened since her appointment as Secretary:

“In an era marked by rapidly changing global dynamics, CCFICSs work is pivotal in ensuring not only that Codex standards remain robust and responsive, but also in providing a multilateral forum where together we can discuss challenges and issues related to food safety and quality and lay the groundwork for the protection of consumer health and the facilitation of fair trade practices,” commented the Codex Secretary.

Among the items up for discussion are the proposed draft guidelines on the prevention and control of food fraud, the draft consolidated guidelines related to equivalence and revisions to and updating of the Principles for Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool Within a Food Inspection and Certification System (CXG 60-2006). The Committee will also consider a range of new work proposals, including guidance on appeals mechanism in the context of rejection of imported food and the standardization of sanitary requirements.

A side event is also planned digitalization and its practical application by regulators and industry, including the use of artificial intelligence.

Read more

CCFICS27 webpage

 Photo © Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry