The International Symposium on Food Safety and Control, which concluded yesterday, 31 May, in Vienna, Austria, provided a forum for information sharing on cutting edge research and developments in the application of nuclear technologies for food safety and control. The event also offered networking opportunities between the public and private sectors and the chance to define future research needs and directions. The symposium included seven sessions, which addressed several topics, from chemical residues and contaminants in food and feed, to One [...]

The report on the implementation of the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety was presented at WHA77 showing the progress made all over the world in the first two years after the adoption of the strategy. Different activities are ongoing with support from WHO to strengthen national food safety systems improving accountability from national authorities and protecting consumers health. Here are some highlights. WHO, together with partners, has made progress in assessing food control systems and developing implementation and advocacy tools [...]

The 33rd session of the Coordinating Committee for Europe has concluded in a spirit of collaboration and agreement on some core issues relevant to the region. In winding up the session, Chairperson Anne Beutling reviewed some of the week’s achievements and said: “I hope that CCEURO33 has helped you make new contacts, and that with that these contacts you’ve made, the coordination and harmonization will further intensify until we meet again." A number of countries congratulated Germany on hosting a successful [...]

The National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) of the Arab Republic of Egypt commemorated the sixth World Food Safety Day this year in on 29 and 30 May. As part of NFSA efforts to be active and collaborative on a regional level, the event marked the NFSA’s launch of its Egyptian Global Food Safety Symposium (EGFoSS) in the presence of H.H Ali Meselhy, Minister of Supply and experts and industry professionals in the field of food safety and agricultural industries from [...]

This year, 30 May marks the first ever observance of International Day of Potato, which is facilitated, at the request of the United Nations General Assembly, by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Day was marked by a special event hosted at FAO headquarters and online, under the theme of “Fundamental role of the potato value chain in global food security.” The event highlighted the significance of this important staple food, which, over the course of [...]

The FAO-implemented and Republic of Korea-funded Action to support implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT) project has conducted a pilot exercise in Nepal to assess the country’s legislation as it pertains to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Antimicrobial Use (AMU) in the country. The exercise involved an assessment tool, known as the ACT Tool, that helps to identify the strengths in a country’s legislation relevant to AMR and AMU, as well as aspects of legislation that could be improved. This tool [...]

By: Maryann Kindiki- CCP, Kenya Kenya is in top gear in its preparations for World Food Safety Day 2024. On 30 April the national planning committee convened to engage media for a briefing on the theme of this year’s World Food Safety Day commemoration. This is aimed at guiding the media on the theme to ensure informed reporting. The planning committee is chaired by the Ministry of Health and comprises government agencies, academia and research, private sector alliances and associations, media and [...]

The 33rd session of the Coordinating Committee for Europe (CCEURO) is meeting physically this week, for the first time in five years. The Regional Coordinator for the Committee is now Germany and delegates are meeting in the country’s capital, Berlin. The meeting opened Monday 27 May, with State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ms Silvia Bender, who welcomed delegates to the meeting and outlined Germany’s ambitions as Regional Coordinator. These are to ensure that all Members of [...]

The 33rd Session of the FAO/WHO Regional Coordinating Committee for Europe (CCEURO33), scheduled on 27-31 May 2024, will open the next round of Regional Coordinating Committees (RCCs). As the meeting approaches, we spoke to Anne Beutling, Chairperson of this Codex Committee: in this interview Anne talks about her background, the agenda of CCEURO33 and the role RCCs can play in Codex.  Q. Anne, thanks for your time. This is going to be the first time for you to chair a Codex [...]

The 43rd session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling concluded Saturday 18 May with the adoption of the report and… a recipe for an Asian soup. The Committee had covered a lot of ground during the week, with the endorsement of methods of analysis for the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) and the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO), with endorsement or proposed revocation of methods for olive oils and olive pomace oils, [...]