Following 10 years’ service to the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils as chairperson and after nearly 40 years working on Codex in the Malaysian Ministry of Health, Noraini Dato’ Mohd Othman used her closing remarks at CCFO26 in Kuala Lumpur to announce her retirement. Noraini Dato’ Mohd Othman, Chairperson Noraini also served as the Vice Chair of Codex Alimentarius Commission for three terms from 2005 to 2008 and spoke of the privilege her service had brought. Chairing the Fats and Oils [...]

The Codex European region comprises 52 countries with widely diverse economic, historic and climatic backgrounds as well as differing levels of experience in engaging with Codex. Many countries in the region joined Codex in the early 1960s at the birth of the Codex Alimentarius and some, especially from the East European region only became members since 2000. One of these is Kazakhstan, a Codex member since 2003, now leads the region as Regional Coordinator. From 4 to 8 February 2019 a [...]

As about 1,000 participants from over 50 countries gathered for the 18th edition of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Conference, World Food Safety Day (7 June) received strong endorsements. The delegates - food safety experts and decision makers from both the private and public sector - were invited to celebrate the recently proclaimed UN day as part of their collaborative efforts to drive improvement in food safety management systems globally.   📽️ | "Let me tell you a story..."Listen to the [...]

Members and Observers of the Codex Alimentarius Commission are meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malyasia from 25 February to 1 March 2019 at the 26th session of the Codex Fats and Oils Committee. Discussions taking place include the addition of palm oil to the Codex Standard for Named Vegetable Oils; a proposed revision of the Standard for Olive Oils and Olive Pomace Oils; discussions on walnut oil, almond oil, hazelnut oil, pistachio oil, flaxseed oil and avocado oil, as well as [...]

Participants gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 6 to 7 February 2019 for a workshop entitled “Improving National Codex Capacities”, jointly organized by FAO and the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan (AFSA). National food control systems in Azerbaijan are undergoing significant change including the establishment of AFSA and the finalization of a food law. “FAO is responding to the request of the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan for support to strengthen the food safety control system, and develop national Codex activities”, said [...]

Over 700 delegates have gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for The First International Food Safety Conference, hosted jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU). Government leaders, senior policy makers, and representatives from international organizations, civil society and the private sector, will identify key actions and strategies to address current and future challenges to food safety globally; and to strengthen commitment at the highest political level to [...]

32 members of the different regulatory authorities tasked with managing food safety in Libya, together with experts from academia, gathered in Tunis, Tunisa 4-6 February 2019 for a workshop on developing national Codex capacities. The project is part of the Arab Food Safety Initiative for Trade Facilitation, known as the SAFE project, under which FAO is providing technical support through collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The Tunis workshop is part of a series that will train participants [...]

Thirty-eight participants from Yemen, Sudan and Egypt are currently meeting in Cairo for a three-day workshop on Codex Alimentarius and its procedures. Organized by the SAFE Codex Initiative with the support of FAO and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), this training is part of the planned activities under the Codex Expert Working Group work plan, aimed at helping countries in the Arabic region define priorities on food safety and Codex. “Effective coordination and raising the level of Arab participation [...]

Medicated feed is one important route for administering veterinary medicinal products to animals, in particular to animals intended for food production. It can be difficult to administer a veterinary drug to an animal, especially in the case of smaller species typically reared in large groups such as a flock of birds or a school of fish where there would be hundreds of animals that all need to be treated at the same time. The use of medicated feed provides an simple, [...]

Delegates from over 30 countries are meeting in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), India from 21 January 2019 to discuss draft Codex standards for selected spices and herbs that will eliminate trade barriers and strengthen food supply chains with safe food. Inaugurating the fourth session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs, Hon’ble Governor of Kerala, Justice (retd) Shri P Sathasivam said that “cultivators of spices should be encouraged to think globally and make use of the latest farming technologies to succeed [...]