“Codex benefits almost everyone around the world, even though most people will never hear of it,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, greeting over 600 online delegates at the opening of the forty-fourth session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which is being held virtually from 8 to 18 November 2021. Tedros went on to underline the critical role Codex standards play in improving the safety and quality of food, protecting and promoting consumer health and nutrition, and protecting fair [...]

Welcoming participants to the 81st session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Naoko Yamamoto, Assistant Director-General WHO, said the past year has shown the critical place and role of food safety and healthy diets in the development agenda, as well as the important results that can be achieved together and in partnership. “Regarding Codex, you know very well the critical role of its standards and guidelines in ensuring safety and quality of food commodities to improve consumer [...]

Guyana launched its Codex Trust Fund (CTF) Project on 6 October, 2021 following a two-day training programme for the National Codex Committee (NCC) members. The launch, which was held at the Cara Lodge in Georgetown, was marked by the presence of Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Advisor to the Minister of Health, Dr. Richard Blair, Advisor on CARICOM Agriculture Food Systems, Ms. Carol Thomas, Guyana’s CTF Project Consultant (Semester 1), Dr. Jean Seme Fils Alexandre, Representative from PAHO/WHO, Mr. Wilmot Garnett, IICA [...]

Malaysian Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, opened the 27th session of the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO), which is being hosted virtually from Kuala Lumpur, underlining the importance of the work of the committee. With total production of fats and oils increasing by over 40 percent in the last 10 years, reaching estimated volumes of 215 million tonnes for the 17 major edible fats and oils in 2020, “the role of CCFO remains pertinent … demand for fats and [...]

Hakim Mufumbiro, Uganda Regional Coordinator CCAFRICA A total of 14 Member States within the Economic Community of West African States (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote D’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo) participated in an online training on Codex Electronic Working (EWG) Platform and Online Commenting System (OCS) as one of the capacity building activities to enhance the skill and knowledge of stakeholders in the region in order to better engage and participate [...]

Speaking at the opening the celebrations of World Food Day 2021, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu recognized all those around the world who continue to work against the odds to ensure everyone has food to eat, and called for the transformation of agri-food systems to make them more efficient, more resilient, more transparent and more sustainable. World Food Day highlights the role countries can play to ensure that all people everywhere have access to enough affordable, nutritious and safe food and and [...]

A virtual event hosted live from the roof of FAO in Rome and the adjacent Caracalla Roman Baths kicked off the first World Food Forum (WFF) with high level messages, poetry and music from around the globe. WFF runs from 1 to 5 October 2020 and is a youth-led movement and network to transform our food systems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular “zero hunger”. WFF brings together youth to drive awareness, foster engagement, and mobilize youth-led [...]

On 23 September 2021 the Strategic Plan of the National Codex Alimentarius Program was signed by the members of the National Codex Committee – CONACODEX – in the presence of the President of the National Quality Council, Maria Luisa Hayem Brevé, Dr. Carlos Gabriel Alvarenga, Vice Minister of Health Management and Development, Dr. Giovanni Escalante representing PAHO / WHO in El Salvador, and Lic. Raúl Peralta, Regional Director of Food Safety, of the International Regional Organization for Agricultural Health (OIRSA), [...]

by Codex office Bhutan A three-day advocacy workshop on the theme “"Achieving Leadership in the Codex Process"” took place from 20 to 22 September 2021 at Drubchhu Resort, Lobesa, Punakha in Bhutan. Around 40 participants from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan, State Owned Enterprises, World Health Organization and World Food Programme country office attended the workshop. [...]

In officially opening the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) on 23 September 2021, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said: “Food is life, food is hope. Changing food systems is not only possible but necessary, for our planet, for people, for prosperity.” Everyone must take action to transform the way the world produces, consumes, and thinks about food. “Food Systems can and must play a leading role in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda,” he said. Although it did [...]