More than 100 participants took part on 25 May 2022 in the first of a series of online events for work underway in the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS). Tom Heilandt Codex Secretary said “it is a wonderful initiative to keep these meetings informal so we can really learn together and get up to date on what’s happening”. The Codex Standard 234, Recommended Methods of Analysis and Sampling, is undergoing review to ensure the methods used in [...]

Cambodia is actively engaged in adopting the CODEX AMR standards to support the containment and reduction of foodborne antimicrobial resistance, and it is one of six countries to join the AMR Codex Texts (ACT) project. A range of stakeholders, including the government, farmers, academia and the private sector convened a workshop in Siem Reap from 16 to 18 May 2022 to review the national efforts to contain AMR.  The workshop was jointly organized by the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries [...]

To raise awareness of the importance of ensuring food safety, on 13 May 2022, the Republic of Korea celebrated its Food Safety Day with the slogan “Food Safety Together, Healthy Korea.” The country started this campaign in 2002, and this year marked the 21st celebration with a hybrid event that included in-person participation as well as a broadcast on YouTube. At the main event, the Minister Kim Ganglip (pictured) applauded Korea's achievements in this field, including the establishment of the Ministry [...]

By Hakim Mufumbiro, Regional Coordinator CCAFRICA On Tuesday, 3rd May 2022 at the Tribe Hotel in Nairobi, the Codex Contact Point (CCP) Officers from Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda met to formally launch the East African Community (EAC) Codex Trust Fund Project for the five countries to pave way for implementation of priority planned activities. The group project seeks to build solid and sustainable Codex systems within the EAC Partner States. The launch and regional workshop was held to mainly [...]

More than 120 delegates gathered online for the opening session of CCEURO32 – the FAO/WHO Regional Coordinating Committee for Europe, the biggest Codex region encompassing 52 Member Countries from Albania to Uzbekistan. The meeting hosted by Kazakhstan but taking place virtually from FAO headquarters in Rome runs from 16 to 20 May 2022 and explores common themes of interest to the region concerning food standards and food control. Vice-Minister of Health Care of Kazakhstan, Doctor Mrs Aizhan Yesmagambetova, Welcoming delegates the [...]

On 27 April, Masanori Kotani, Secretary General of Japan’s Food Safety Management Association (JFSM) delivered a lecture on food safety and the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) “5 keys to safer food” to second- and third-year students at Hokkaido Shizunai Agricultural High School. The session included quizzes, which helped make the food safety lessons more fun for the students. In addition, the third-year students took part in an online class, connecting the milk processing room and the classroom at Shizunai Agricultural High School by [...]

Over 400 delegates gathered online for the opening of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) which is taking place from 9 to 24 May 2022, hosted by The Netherlands from Utrecht. The committee regulates substances that have not been intentionally added to food by setting maximum levels to avoid levels of contamination that would make the food unsafe or affect its quality.  Speaking from the virtual studio, the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Steve Wearne, United Kingdom, said [...]

By John Oppong-Otoo, Food Safety Officer at AU-IBAR and Hakim Mufumbiro, Regional Coordinator CCAFRICA A total of 18 Member States (Botswana, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia) met from 20 to 22 April 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda as part of the initiatives to enhance Codex work management within the Member States on the continent. The regional workshop was held to mainly undertake an assessment of the status of operation [...]

By Brandi Robinson, Food and Drug Administration, United States of AmericaChairperson Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food (CCRVDF) Veterinarians have contributed to the development of Codex codes of practice, guidelines, and standards on many topics ranging from animal feeding to contaminants in feed, to residues of veterinary drugs in food, to antimicrobial resistance. With their expertise, veterinarians are integral to the ongoing work of the CCRVD which is charged with developing standards for veterinary drug residues found in food [...]

The twenty-second session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV) is taking place virtually from 25 April to 4 May 2022 and was opened in front of more than 200 participants by Dr Alfonso Guati-Rojo Sánchez, Director General in the General Bureau of Standards of the Ministry of Economy of Mexico and Chairperson of the committee. In 34 years CCFFV has developed 42 international standards, which have served as the technical basis for the development of national regulations [...]