On 7 October 2020, the Development Law Service of FAO launched the public review of the “Methodology to analyse AMR-Relevant Legislation in the Food and Agriculture Sector – Guidance Document for Regulators”. All those with knowledge on antimicrobial resistance, veterinary medical products, antimicrobial pesticides, food safety, animal or plant health legislation are invited to participate.   Learn more Read the full story, learn how to take part and download the publication on the FAO website

Delegations attending the 27th Committee on Agriculture (COAG), held virtually from 28 September to 2 October 2020, have agreed to support the development of a new FAO Food Safety Strategy which will contribute to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with consideration for food safety issues, as the transformation of food systems accelerates. The strategy will align with this transformation and provide advice on managing unforeseen global challenges and crises that may affect the food supply. It will also serve [...]

With three sessions of CAC43 already completed, ten standards and six new work proposals have been adopted by the Commission, meeting for the first time ever virtually. Over 120 Members and more than 50 Observer organizations have participated so far and the next plenary session will be on Monday 12 October, 12:00 CET. Listed below are the standards, guidelines and codes of practice that will be adopted into the Codex Alimentarius and the proposals for new work that have been approved. As [...]

The International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association (IFU) represents producers, associations, traders, machinery and packaging producers and public and private scientific institutions from around the world. As a worldwide association, IFU has faced similar challenges to Codex when it comes to arranging meetings. “Unfortunately, our physical meetings and events were all cancelled so we moved to remote meeting. It’s not the same so we try and have shorter sessions … at different times to try and enable all time zones [...]

At today’s opening of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the release of a new report about World Food Safety Day 2020. “Under the theme ‘Food safety, everyone’s business’, the WHO-led event focused on building and maintaining safe food in marketplaces,” he said, referring to the UN Day while holding up a copy of the report for participants to see. The report, World Food Safety Day 2020 - Overview of an inspiring virtual celebration, offers a [...]

The Directors-General of FAO and WHO, the parent organizations of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, set the stage for five days of decision-making on food standards with a message about getting ‘better’. More than 800 registered delegates joined the first-ever virtual Commission, now in its 43rd session, held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In congratulating the Commission for ‘jumping into the digital world’, FAO Director-General Dr QU Dongyu noted that science is the driving force for setting Codex food standards. “When [...]

At 12:00 CET on Thursday 24 September 2020, the Directors-General of FAO and WHO will welcome over 600 delegates to the first ever virtual session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission - CAC43. Following an overwhelmingly positive response from Member Countries, the two-thirds majority required to ensure the 43rd meeting could go ahead, have affirmed their belief that Codex international food safety standards have a vital role to play for consumers in every home. The standards, guidelines and codes of practice that [...]

In the two short years since the World Food Safety Day was created, we have already seen the engagement and momentum that this campaign can garner from all corners of the industry and around the world. Food safety truly is everyone’s business, and it is heartening to see WFSD participation from the private sector and public sector alike. At the end of the day, we are all consumers and can all join forces behind the vision of safe food for [...]

Usually in the build-up to the Codex Alimentarius Commission annual meeting, hundreds of delegates would be beginning to travel, sometimes halfway around the globe, to attend a whole week of plenary meetings in either Geneva or Rome. This year, as CAC43 gets underway on 24 September 2020, the logistic preparations will be more concerned with Wi-Fi access and webcams than visas and lost luggage. With an expected participation of over 600 Codex Members and Observers the pressure is on the Codex [...]

The webinar organized by the Codex Secretariat on Friday 11 September 2020 was well attended with 86 countries and the European Union, plus 34 observer organizations taking part and numbers of attendees peaking at over 300. In opening the session, the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Guilherme Da Costa, Brazil paid tribute to the global Codex Contact Points who play a key role in managing the practical work for Codex Members. “Through them, everything happens in the organization and without [...]