A group of food additives called beta-carotenes are used to add a yellow colour to foods like soft drinks, confectionary and cakes. At the Codex Committee on Food Additives meeting in Hong Kong, SAR, China from 27-31 March 2023, beta-cartones have been included on the priority list of additives with the mandate to evaluate the exposure to these food additives by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). This request results from a concern that was raised in [...]

In a burst of colour and sound, taste and vision, the Centre for Food Safety, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Hong Kong SAR, China put on a show of local culture and entertainment on Monday 27 March, 2023 for delegates attending the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA). Local artisans, youth performers and lion dancers were all on show to mark the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. With the presence of Mr. LEI Haichao, Vice Minister of the National Health [...]

FAO has now issued a brochure that describes its work on food safety. Safe food for everyone – FAO’s work on food safety: science, standards and good practices is available in two formats (pdf and digital) and six languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). “FAO’s food safety priorities highlights the importance of Codex Alimentarius for food safety at a global scale and emphasizes that indeed Food safety is everyone’s business,” said Angeliki Vlachou, FAO Food Safety Officer, in unveiling [...]

Mr. LEI Haichao, Vice Minister of the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, opened the 53rd session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA), taking place from 27-31 March 2023, in China Hong Kong SAR. In underlining the great importance the Chinese government has always attached to food safety, the Vice Minister highlighted how the committee had served as a communication platform for countries and international organizations to exchange views on the management of food additives. [...]

The Codex Committee on Food Additives is renown for its physical working groups that lead up to the full plenary which beings on Monday 27 March, 2023. These groups carry out the groundwork for the topics the full committee will then need to focus on. Ahead of the first Friday session, the Codex Secretariat managed to speak to two of the experts who lead this work. Paul Honigfort, United States of America is Chairperson of the physical working group on the [...]

As delegates gather in Hong Kong for the 53rd session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA53), which runs from 27-31 March 2023, Chairperson FAN Yongxiang, China, sat down with the Codex Secretariat to look ahead to the meeting. What will it be like returning to a physical meeting? I believe all delegates are keen to meet in person after three years of virtual discussion and the challenges of meeting across different time zones. We have to admit that physical meetings [...]

In Timor Leste a four-day mock Codex committee session has taken place this week as part of training to help the country’s Codex representatives understand how Codex works and how to participate effectively in Codex sessions. The training is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of the Timor Leste Codex Trust Fund (CTF) project. Timor Leste is the newest Member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The mock session saw the supposed 3rd session of the Codex Committee on [...]

Representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety reviewed the progress and priorities of the project “Action to support implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT)” at a consultation meeting earlier this March.   Attending the session, Tom Heilandt, Codex Secretary, said: "We are happy to implement the ACT project with the support from the Government of Korea. This year Codex is turning 60. This project is one of the [...]

The Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) met virtually on 15 March 2023 to successfully adopt the report of the session, sending the “Standard for Follow-Up Formula for Older Infants and Product for Young Children” for final adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in November this year. The Chairperson of CCNFSDU Anja Brönstrup, Germany, congratulated the committee on its work, the milestones achieved and the special willingness amongst delegates to complete topics some of which, such [...]

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 [...]