Food production, processing and trading technology is evolving at a rapid pace. Consequently the Codex Alimentarius Commission is expanding its set of standards to ensure that consumer health remains protected, while practices in the trade of food are fair. Today FAO/WHO are announcing the launch of a completely new series of multilingual eLearning courses on Codex accessible free of charge online and in downloadable format. “The new courses have been meticulously developed to make sure we a have an up to [...]

The 45th Codex Alimentarius Commission has agreed by a vote to adopt the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for zilpaterol, a veterinary drug used to enhance growth performance in cattle, at Step 5 in the Codex process for developing food safety standards. The Commission did not agree, also by a vote, to change its rules for this session and allow for the work to advance directly to the final Step 8  which would have paved the way for CAC45 to consider final [...]

Over 350 online delegates joined nearly 400 returning to FAO for a physical session for the first time in three years as the 45th Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC45) opened on 21 November 2022. QU Dongyu Director-General of FAO, welcomed participants and underlined how rapidly advancing technology has made hybrid meetings such as CAC45 possible in full transparency, ensuring no one is left behind. Science and data play a crucial role in the work of the Codex standard-setting body, he said, also making reference to the [...]

The Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Steve Wearne, United Kingdom, in consultation with the Vice-Chairpersons and the Codex Secretariat has published a letter to Codex Members and Observers outlining how he intends to conduct discussions on whether the Commssion should establish maximum residue limits for zilpaterol, a veterinary drug used to enhance growth performance in cattle, at the 45th Codex Alimentarius Commssion which begins at FAO HQ in Rome, Italy on Monday 21 November 2022. CAC45 / a new format and [...]

For World Food Safety Day 2022, the Mekong Institute (MI) joined stakeholders of the national food control system in the Lao People's Democratic Republic to commemorate the importance of food safety for public and economic health. In a forum aimed at strengthening multi-agency and multi-stakeholder collaboration, participants also sought to ensure enhanced awareness among consumers of the importance of safer food. MI is supporting the Lao government’s goals of advancing food safety across the country through the PROSAFE Project, a five-year initiative funded [...]

The 45th Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC45) is less than two weeks away and it may be one of the most interesting gatherings in recent times. It will be the first physical meeting of CAC in 3 years and the first ever that has the option for virtual attendance – a major challenge for us in the Codex Secretariat. In addition, there is a huge interest in the Codex family to see how we can move forward on the MRLs for [...]

Members gathered in a physical setting for the first time since 2020 for the opening of the 83rd Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission being held in FAO HQ, Rome, Italy from 14-18 November 2022. Online delegates are also taking part ensuring full participation. FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero welcomed delegates to the face-to-face environment which he described as “helpful when tackling the complex issues and negotiations” on their agenda. “I trust as a committee you [...]

WHO roundtable discussion in Croatia Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is not only a human health threat, but also a food safety issue. Antimicrobial use in food animals – for treatment, disease prevention or, in some countries outside the European Union, growth promotion – allows resistant bacteria and resistance genes to emerge and spread from food animals to humans through the food chain. To address this issue, the World Health Organization (WHO) organized a roundtable discussion on 10 November 2022, in close collaboration [...]

The AMR Codex Texts (ACT) project now has national coordinators in Bolivia, Cambodia, Colombia and Nepal. Jorge Berrios (Bolivia), Ana Carrizosa (Colombia) and Sakar Shivakoti (Nepal) are veterinarians with extensive experience in health management and inter-institutional coordination. Pisey Oum (Cambodia) brings his knowledge in biosafety, biotechnology and food assessment from different UN organizations.  “We need to know more in-depth about the current situation of the use of antimicrobials in Bolivia. This will allow us to plan better the actions in reducing [...]

From 26 September to 1 October 2022, the Codex Trust Fund (CTF), in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of the Republic of Korea, conducted a pilot training in Seoul focusing on good Codex practices and Korea’s experience in building their Codex system over the past decades. Fifteen participants from five CTF2 beneficiary countries (Bhutan, the Gambia, Maldives, Mauritius and Nepal) took part in the training which consisted of a combination of lectures covering key aspects of [...]