FAO Pakistan, in collaboration with the Animal Husbandry Commissioner Office of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, conducted a three-day workshop on Codex standards and foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR). More than 40 participants from federal and provincial livestock departments, food authorities and other relevant departmentsattended thistraining of trainerson 23-25 October 2023 in Islamabad. This was the first-ever workshop to raise awareness among field veterinarians and food authorities on Codex and AMR.    “Understanding Codex standardsis criticalfor well-being and achieving the Sustainable Development [...]

The report on this year’s World Food Safety Day is out now and ready to view. The 16-page document offers a glimpse into the immense variety of World Food Safety Day celebrations across the world this year and the unprecedented number of events and activities that took place. There were over 500 events in 139 countries. There were gastronomic and tasting events that promoted the enjoyment of food that is safe. There was a range of sports events that highlighted the [...]

FAO Cambodia, in collaboration with the National Animal Health and Production Research Institute of the Government of Cambodia, trained 40 stakeholders from the livestock sector about the ways to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and implement related Codex guidelines. Such workshop of trainers was organized for the first time in the country for veterinarians and animal farmer trainers, taking place on 18 and 19 October 2023 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.    “This training is crucial for our future, and I am pleased more people will [...]

As part of the celebrations for the 120th anniversary of the International Dairy Federation (IDF) and the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), the IDF Standing Committee for Standards of Identity and Labelling (SCSIL) and the Codex Secretariat are organizing the webinar “Implementing Codex Standards: case studies on the General Standard for the Use of Dairy Terms (GSUDT)”. IDF launched a survey in 2022 among its members on how the GSUDT has been implemented at national and/or regional levels. [...]

The Codex Secretariat has extended the deadline for countries to participate in the second survey to measure the use and impact of Codex texts. The new date to complete the survey is 15 November 2023. “It is important for us to hear from our Members. We hope that the new deadline gives more time to collect the information and participate in the survey”, said Farid El Haffar, Codex Secretariat Officer in charge of the survey. This year, the survey focuses on the [...]

The National Health and Agri-Food Safety Service (SENASA) of Honduras held a workshop to familiarize government officials, industry and academia with the text and tools contained in the guidelines for the safe use and reuse of water in food production and processing, which are up for adoption at the upcoming Codex Alimentarius Commission meeting (CAC46). Work to develop these guidelines for the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) was led by Honduras, together with Chile and the European Union. Mirian Bueno, [...]

FAO Pakistan hosted a roadmap workshop to discuss priorities in addressing foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 11 September 2023. The event took place under the “Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT)” project, with more than 60 participants from Pakistan, the ACT project coordinators in Cambodia and Nepal, and the regional coordinator for Asia. “This mission allowed all of those involved in the project to get a clear understanding of the current antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial [...]

On the occasion of the World Food Forum, a youth-led movement and network to transform our agrifood systems, we had a chat with Espoir Agbohouto and Minh Nguyen, two young food safety experts currently working with FAO and the Codex Secretariat, respectively. In this interview, they explain how they developed a passion for food safety and how young generations can contribute to safer and more sustainable agrifood systems. Dear Espoir and Minh, thanks for your time. Why did you choose to study [...]

The National Food Safety Authority of Egypt (NFSA) and the African Union Commission (AUC) convened a meeting for African Food Regulatory Authorities, to advance the regional food safety agenda, as a way to support the region’s food security and trade goals, and in particular to progress the Regional Food Safety Strategy and the creation of the African Food Safety Agency (AFSA). The meeting was held in Cairo from 11–13 October 2023 and brought together food regulatory professionals from 38 countries of [...]

Nepal assessed the ability to test for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in food samples by its central food safety laboratory as part of the “Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT)” project. Related laboratory visits, workshops and stakeholder meetings took place in Katmandu from 19 to 21 September 2023. “This assessment and training helped us to understand the areas we need to improve to strengthen the AMR surveillance in the food sector", saidMatina Joshi Vaidya, Director-General of the Department of [...]