The ‘Coordinating Committee for Africa’ was established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1972 with a mandate to “exercise general coordination in the preparation of standards relating to the region of Africa”. The committee held its first meeting at FAO in 1974, with 19 countries in attendance.
As the new regional coordinator begins their term, the Agreement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into effect in May 2020, has reinforced the need for an efficient and effective system for managing sanitary and phytosanitary measures, in particular food safety, across the continent as its borders open for trade.
The regional coordinator is based in the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, a statutory body under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives which oversees, as part of its mandate, the promotion and use of standards.
As regional coordinator, Uganda intends to engage closely with countries via surveys, webinars and workshops to identify needs and emerging issues, create awareness of priority food safety issues and of Codex standards. A pilot study will also explore the food safety situation in broader terms across the region. By strengthening engagement with regional bodies such as the African Union, the African Organisation for Standardisation and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Uganda also aims to enhance advocacy work in the region.
In order to participate in the international drive to raise awareness on food safety, and as part of the celebration of World Food Safety Day, Group Réponse organizes an annual forum called the International Forum of Food Safety (FISSA) to inform, raise awareness and communicate on the importance of food safety in Benin.
Health safety is everyone's business. FISSA 2023 will be held in hybrid mode (face-to-face and online) from June 6 to 10, 2023 at the Agence Territoriale de Développement [...]
The University of the Witwatersrand will be hosting food safety awareness week as part of the World Food Safety Day commemoration this year.
The celebration will be undertaken for a period of five days, starting from 5 June 2023 and running to 9 June 2023. Activities will include food safety information stalls to be stationed around campus, where food safety quizzes and information sessions will be held with students and staff. On 9 June 2023, the University will be hosting World [...]
In Diamniadio, Senegal, the AFRICA MiTH forum will celebrate World Food Safety Day on 5 June in their “gastronomy pavilion” with the message that promoting food safety can change things: “it is everyone’s business”.
The event will seek to increase public awareness about food safety and encourage people to act to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, thus contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agricultural production, access to markets, tourism and sustainable production, according to organizers.
The day of activities [...]
A two-day Food Safety Summit will take place on 30 and 31 May this year in Johannesburg to commemorate World Food Safety Day. The event, organized by Anelich Consulting, will be followed by a week of podcasting to lead into World Food Safety Day itself. With a focus this year on people, speakers from around the world will discuss:
The importance of the right culture in an organization, for success in food safety
Why are we still getting the basics wrong and [...]
The NGO Je Mange Santé in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is planning a series of World Food Safety Day events over a 2-week period starting on 27 May. The organization is aiming to promote food standards and food safety for and within families that experience different forms of malnutrition and food-related diseases.
Between Saturday 27 May and 3 June, in the city of Goma interviews will be carried out with people involved in food safety. These will go towards [...]
By John Oppong-Otoo, Food Safety Officer at AU-IBAR and Hakim Mufumbiro, Regional Coordinator CCAFRICA
The Codex Africa Think tank comprised of 12 Member States (Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda and Zambia), Regional Economic Communities with observer status in Codex (Economic Community for West African States and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) and representatives from the African Union met from 15 to 17 March 2023 in Mahe, Seychelles to reflect on the [...]
By Lusibilo Witson MWAMAKAMBA WHO
The African Union Commission (AUC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) held a successful webinar on 23rd February 2023 in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA). The webinar was held on the heels of the recently concluded African Union Year of Nutrition, 2022 and highlighted the inextricable links between food safety and nutrition to achieve optimal health [...]
Abdoulie Jallow, Senior Scientific Officer Food Safety and Quality Authority, Gambia
The National Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Committee of the Gambia was launched on 21st of February 2023, at a ceremony held at the premises of the Food Safety and Quality Authority of the Gambia.
SPS Measures are vital instruments used by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other relevant international multilateral agencies to ensure food safety, protection of plants and animals from pests and diseases and the facilitation of international agricultural [...]
World Food Safety Day messages were delivered this year by ministers and experts in Uganda, who encouraged food business operators throughout the supply chain to help improve food safety within the country. The messages were delivered through TV and print media and a three-day training course was implemented “for food business operators and regulators in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries”, according to The New Vision news outlet. The activities were organized as part of the [...]
by Mr. Celestin Ntahomvukiye Codex Contact Point Burundi
Five East African Community Partner States Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda are currently implementing a Codex Trust Fund (CTF) group project with the aim of strengthening national Codex Structures. One of the identified activities is to establish a twinning programme between partner states with well-functioning structures and those with their structures still under development. Burundi was allocated to Kenya for this mentorship program.
The Codex Contact Point (CCP) from Kenya in liaison [...]
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