The CCNE Region - Regional Coordinator Saudi Arabia
In 1999 the 23rd session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission established the Regional Coordinating Committee for the Near East, bringing together countries in the Near East Region (for FAO) and the Eastern Mediterranean Region (for WHO). The committee held its first meeting in Cairo, Egypt in 2001.
The current regional coordinator for the Near East is based in the Saudi Food and Drug Authority in Riyadh.
The coordinator’s goals in leading the region in Codex include developing and strengthening Codex Contact Points and National Codex Committees as well as improving communication and coordination amongst CCNE members, with other regions and the Codex Secretariat.
A further objective is to develop the exchange of scientific and technical expertise amongst experienced and less experienced countries in the region.
The coordinator aims to promote the use of Codex standards as a basis for national legislation and regulations and continue work developing and reviewing Codex standards taking into account regional interests.
News from the region
WFSD video / in Kuwait, food safety is everyone’s business
To celebrate World Food Safety Day (WFSD) the Codex Contact Point of Kuwait based in the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN) has developed a video. In line with the 2020 WFSD theme of Food safety, everyone’s business the short film brings together the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Health, the Public Authority of Agricultural affairs and fisheries, PAFN itself - which is responsible for developing the national food safety policy, food laboratories, farmers, food business [...]
24 May 2020
FAO and EOS Continue to support the Codex System in Egypt
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS), held a workshop on Codex on 16 December 2019 in Aswan Governorate, Egypt. The workshop was the third in a series of initiatives which has included events in Cairo and Alexandria to support the Codex system in Egypt within the framework of the "Improving the National Food Control System” programme.
Participants at Aswan workshop December 2019
The workshop aimed to raise [...]
29 December 2019
Alexandria workshop maximises participation of all those involved in Codex in Egypt
FAO, in cooperation with the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS), held a workshop in Alexandria from 25-27 November 2019 entitled "Supporting Codex Capacity in Egypt" to strengthen the structure and program of Codex in Egypt, to improve the food import control system in the country in order to facilitate trade and ensure food safety.
Workshop: "Supporting Codex Capacity in Egypt"
The three-day workshop took place in the context of the public/private partnership, under the supervision of the Egyptian Codex Contact [...]
09 December 2019
Ensuring food safety a sophisticated task for Near East region
In welcoming delegates to the opening of the 10th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Near East, H.E. Mohammad Hossein Emadi, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to FAO and the Rome Based Agencies, said ensuring food safety was a sophisticated task considering the challenges brought by globalization and international food trade, increased demand for safer and better quality of food, as well as threats that arise from new and intensification technologies of food [...]
11 November 2019
Near East meeting, a precious space for open discussions around food safety
Delegates from 17 countries will gather at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy for the 10th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Near East (CCNE) from 11 to 15 November 2019.
Mrs Nayereh Sadat Piroozbakht, President of the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran, and the current Regional Coordinator, said the committee should “take into consideration the development of standards related to safety and integrity and authenticity of foods for all countries as a priority”. CCNE should promote [...]
10 November 2019
Developing national Codex capacity for Libya
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 [...]
08 February 2019
Regional workshop to strengthen Codex work in Near East
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 [...]
28 January 2019
It’s time for fixed definitions for food fraud and food integrity
We need a food supply system that produces safe food, produces nutritious food, and also produces authentic food, which is free of fraudulent activity.
Dr Chris Elliot
Food fraud is the intentional adulteration of food for financial gain. This can include deliberate substitution, dilution, counterfeiting, or misrepresentation of food, ingredients or packaging; or even false or misleading statements made about a product. All these examples of fraud can have a negative impact on the quality and safety aspects of foods. They can [...]
20 June 2017
Regional Meeting for Near East begins in Rome
The regional meetings provide an incredibly important opportunity for dynamic discussion on major and emerging food safety and quality issues facing the region.
There are six Codex regions each represented by a joint FAO/WHO Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC).They meet every two years. Each committee is responsible for defining the problems and needs of the region concerning food standards and food control. By working collectively at the regional level countries are able to highlight regulatory issues and problems arising from food control [...]
15 May 2017
Codex filming in Lebanon
A camera crew from Flooded Cellar are currently in Lebanon making a video for Codex that looks at the relevance and importance of Codex standards, guidelines and codes of practices to the Near East region.
The video will include interviews with government representatives, technicians from the national food safety committee, representatives from research and the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as those involved in food production, right along the food chain to restaurants and consumers. The video will examine Good Hygienic [...]
02 November 2015
Video Message
CCNE Coordinator
All information on Codex is public and free.
For regional enquiries contact:
CCNE Secretariat
Saudi Food & Drug Authority
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Tel: +966 11 2038222 Ext:3347
Email: [email protected]