Welcome to the 'Food Safety and Quality Update' eNewsletter from FAO's Food Quality and Standards Service. We look forward to any comments or suggestions. Please email us.
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 FAO training course - 'Enhancing participation in Codex activities'
Rabat, Morocco, 20-22 January 2007
Two training courses (one in French and one in English) based on FAO/WHO training package ‘Enhancing participation in Codex activities’ were held in Rabat, Morocco betwee 20 and 22 January 2007, in conjunction with the 17th session of the Codex Regional Coordinating Committee for Africa. About 50 participants from 37 countries attended the training courses. The report of the francophone session is now available.
→ Download... (en français) [pdf 224kb]
FAO/WHO framework for the provision of scientific advice on food safety and nutrition
FAO and WHO provide a neutral, international forum for scientific discussions related to food safety and nutrition. The framework for the provision of scientific advice is an important tool in the ongoing strengthening of the independence, transparency and quality of the provision of scientific advice as it outlines the principles, practices and procedures currently applied by FAO and WHO. The framework document is now final, and FAO and WHO would like to thank all those who provided comments during the public consultation period between October 2006 and January 2007.
→ Download… [pdf 419kb]
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Forthcoming events
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Announcements |
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 68th JECFA session (Food additives and contaminants)
Geneva, Switzerland, 19-28 June 2007
The complete list (and supplements) of substances scheduled for evaluation and the request for data for evaluation by this meeting are now available online:
→ Second supplement (including the final list of flavouring substances, i.e. the list in the original call for data is no longer valid). Download... [pdf 39kb]
→ First supplement. Download... [pdf 82kb]
→ Original list of substances scheduled for evaluation and request for data. Download... [pdf 170kb]
FAO regional training workshops - 'Integrated approach to food safety, animal health and plant health (biosecurity) and the assessment of biosecurity capacity needs'
Latin America: Santiago, Chile, 9-11 May 2007
Asia: Bangkok, Thailand, 28-30 May 2007
Africa: Accra, Ghana, 30 May to 1 June 2007
Under the FAO Norway biosecurity project, 3 three-day regional training workshops at the FAO Regional Offices in Santiago, Bangkok and Accra are being organised on an 'Integrated approach to food safety, animal health and plant health (biosecurity) and the assessment of biosecurity capacity needs'. The objectives for all three workshops are to increase understanding and knowledge concerning biosecurity among sector experts in the regions; to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to apply the FAO biosecurity capacity assessment tool at the national level; to develop a network of experts with specialized knowledge and skills on an integrated biosecurity approach; and to facilitate the development and delivery of biosecurity capacity building activities and training at the country and regional level.
→ Download Latin America workshop programme (Español)... [pdf 39kb]
Codex Committee on Food Additives, 39th Session
Beijing, China, 24-28 April 2007
The provisional agenda and working documents for this and all other forthcoming Codex meetings are now available.
→ Read more... [pdf 39kb]
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 Calls for experts and information - joint FAO/WHO expert meeting on the benefits and risks of the use of 'active chlorine' in food production and food processing
FAO and WHO have issued a call for experts and a call for information to facilitate new work on the assessment of benefits and risks of the use of ‘active chlorine’ in food production and processing, as requested by the 29th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. An expert meeting will be convened during 2007 to conside this advice. The main goals are to consider the risk of disinfection by-products (excluding environmental impacts) versus the benefit of lowering the risk of microbial hazards following the use of active chlorine for disinfection purposes in food production and processing.
→ Download call for information... [pdf 66kb]
→ Download call for experts... [pdf 70kb]
→ For more information click here or email JEMRA at FAO
 Call for data - new work on viruses in foods
FAO and WHO are initiating new work on viruses in foods. This is in response to the increasingly recognized role of viruses in food-borne disease, and in order to provide scientific advice to Codex in the development of risk management guidance. FAO and WHO are convening an expert meeting in May 2007, and in order to ensure that this meeting has at its disposal all available and relevant information and data FAO and WHO are issuing a call for data.
→ For more information and/or details on data requirements and how to submit data click here or email JEMRA at FAO
→ Download call for data... [pdf 106kb]
 IAEA vacancy announcement - Food irradiation specialist
The Food and Environmental Protection Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture is pleased to announce a Vacancy Notice for a Food Irradiation Specialist with an application deadline of 16 April 2007. Additional information can also also be found on the websites of the Joint Division and Food and Environmental Protection Section.
→ Please click here for details...
New AGNS Project - Specific Quality Programme
A new FAO programme started in February 2007 concerning the 'specific quality' of food, which links food to it's origin and inherent traditions. The aim of this programme is to assist Member Countries establish a supportive policy framework for the implementation of specific quality schemes. Such schemes can enable producers to benefit by adding value to their products based on their geographical origin, thereby contributing to economic development as well as to the conservation of local resources.
Initially, and taking into account the activities already carried out by other FAO technical units, the project will review experiences in Member Countries regarding the implementation of specific quality schemes in order to achieve a broad understanding of the topic, including related economic, social and cultural aspects. This information will be used to develop a number of case studies and to highlight in particular benefits, constraints and success factors in order to advise Member Countries and stakeholders on suitable schemes and tools. Specific FAO regional workshops will take place this autumn in Latin America, North Africa and possibly Asia. Capitalizing on all this information, a FAO manual will be developed to provide operational guidelines on how specific quality products can be developed.
For more information, please email Emilie Vandecandelaere or call +39 06 570 56 210.
→ Read more... [pdf 40kb]
→ Pour en savoir plus... [pdf 41kb]
→ Más información... [pdf 40kb]
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Copyright FAO 2007
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