This year marks the 50th anniversary of CCNFSDU. In the very early days of Codex, in 1965, the fledgling European Coordinating Committee made a proposal to hand responsibility for a new European Committee on Dietetic Foodstuffs to the Federal Republic of Germany due to the experience in this field of the Federal Ministry of Health. First meeting The Committee on Dietetic Foods first met in Germany in May 1966. Items on the agenda included matters regarding “gluten free” foods, “foods for nursing mothers, [...]

The working group hosted by UK and co-chaired by the USA and Australia met in London from 29 November to 2 December 2016 to complete the tasks set by the 39th Codex Alimentarius Commission. Taskforce to tackle emerging global threat This work involved preparing the work for the Codex Task Force on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which will begin its discussions in 2017. Hosted by the Republic of Korea, this body will review and revise Codex texts to address uses of antimicrobials in agriculture [...]

The Codex Chairperson, Mrs Awilo Ochieng Pernet, attended the Shenzhen China Food Safety Risk Communication Conference which took place in Shenzhen, China on 28th and 29th November 2016. Hosted by the Shenzhen Food Safety Commission Office, the Food and Drug Administration of Shenzhen Municipality and organised by the Shenzhen Institute of Standards and Technology (SIST), the Food Safety Risk Communication Conference was attended by more than 400 participants representing stakeholders from relevant sectors including government officials, industry, consumer organisations and academia. Food [...]

The Codex Chairperson Mrs Awilo Ochieng Pernet and the Codex Secretary Mr Tom Heilandt met with the communications team from the Chilean Agency for Food Safety and Quality (ACHIPIA) to learn about the Chilean experience in raising consumer awareness about the importance of food safety and nutrition. Everyone's responsibility With the Agency’s motto being “Safe and nutritious foods, everyone’s responsibility”, ACHIPIA has set out to explain to the general public not only the Chilean national food safety and quality control system, but [...]

These meetings provide an incredibly important opportunity for dynamic discussion on major and emerging food safety and quality issues facing the region. Dr Kazuaki Miyagishima - WHO The 20th meeting of the Codex Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) began today in Viña del Mar, Chile. Nearly 100 delegates from the 33 countries in the region are attending as well as Codex representatives from Canada, Switzerland and the United States. Codex Regions There are six Codex regions each represented by a joint [...]

Handle antibiotics with care Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria change and become resistant to the antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause. It is one of the biggest threats to globalo health, food security and development today. How can antibiotic resistance spread in food? When antibiotics are given to food producing animals or crops, the animals develop drug-resistant bacteria in their gut. These bacteria can then reach humans through food, through the environment or by human-animal contact. World Antibiotic Awareness Week 14-20 November World [...]

Los Angeles USA - 48th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene The Codex Secretariat is commited and dedicated to serving the Codex community Chair Codex Alimentarius Commission In the speech that she delivered at the Official Welcome Reception organised by the United States Codex Office on the occasion of the 48th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene, the Codex Alimentarius Chairperson Mrs Awilo Ochieng Pernet paid tribute to members of the Codex Secretariat for their commitment and dedication to delivering [...]

The food hygiene committee CCFH has been meeting since 1964 and is responsible for drafting basic provisions on food hygiene applicable to all food. People have the right to expect the food they eat to be safe and suitable for consumption. Foodborne illness and foodborne injury are at best unpleasant; at worst, they can be fatal. Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene  Los Angeles - Q&A with Chair Dr Emilio Esteban As the 48th session of the committee begins in Los Angeles, Dr Emilio Esteban, Executive [...]

Maximum residue levels (MRLs) for pesticide residues and residues of veterinary drugs are the maximum concentrations of residues to be legally permitted in or on a food. MRLs for pesticides may also be applicable to animal feeds. MRLs are set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Draft MRLs for adoption by the Commission are elaborated by the relevant Codex committees on pesticides and veterinary drugs, on the basis of international, expert scientific advice. WTO SPS workshop The Chair of the Codex Alimentarius Commission Mrs Awilo Ochieng [...]

In order to strengthen the Codex Alimentarius work in Bolivia, the Bolivian Codex Commitee (CNCA) organized a 2 day symposium involving country authorities, food producers, laboratory experts, exporters, universities, consumers and the Chair of Codex Alimentarius Mrs. Awilo Ochieng Pernet. The symposium demonstrated the work of Codex in Food Safety. First visit of Codex Chair to Bolivia Held earlier this month, the CNCA workshop successfully highlighted the importance of Food Safety and the relevance of Codex work in the country. For this [...]