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codexalimentarius > News and Events

New food sources and production / Codex vice-chair Diego Varela learns about plant-based food

On Tuesday 15 February 2022, Diego Varela, Vice-Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, visited NotCo, Chile, to learn at firsthand how plant-based products are created. NotCo was established in 2015 and aims to make plant based food look, smell, taste and function like animal based ones. The company uses artificial intelligence to decide how to combine plants to replicate the flavour and texture of animal products whilst maintaining their taste, feel and function. Diego Varela (left) talks to NotCo staff during [...]
24 February 2022

EU recognizes central role of Codex in facilitating transition to sustainable food systems

At a meeting in Brussels on 21 February 2022, the European Union's Ministers of Agriculture confirmed the EU's commitment to the work of Codex, and underlined the need for sustainability considerations to be given greater prominence in the setting of food safety standards for international trade. In the conclusions approved at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Ministers recognised the central role of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) in facilitating the transition to sustainable food systems and reaffirmed the EU's determination [...]
23 February 2022

Compendium of Codex AMR texts provides complete framework for decision makers to address foodborne AMR

A timely new compendium of Codex texts to support countries in the fight against foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was published on Thursday 17 February 2022 at a launch event of a new FAO project, sponsored by the Republic of Korea, that will support implementation of Codex guidance in this field. Countries have different approaches and interests when it comes to use of antimicrobials for animal and plant health and the potential for AMR carry-over or transmission into foods. The overarching international [...]
17 February 2022

“Why did you become a scientist?”

by Nolene Naicker There were two main principles that guided me when I left school: I wanted to make a positive change in the world and wanted to work with people – something I am passionate about. I have family members who suffer with diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. I wanted to do something that could make living with these challenges much easier. `Dietetics` - the science of using the right food to treat illnesses - seemed like the way to go. My [...]
10 February 2022

Codex to explore its statements of principle on role of science to help find consensus on controversial issues

An informal meeting held online on Wednesday 2 February 2022 began to explore how a Codex Executive sub-committee will approach their task to provide operational guidance on the statements of  principle in the Procedural Manual concerning the role of science in the Codex decision-making process and the extent to which other factors are taken into account. The statements being considered uphold science while recognizing the relevance of so-called “other factors” when setting standards in Codex. Examples of those factors include constraints, [...]
03 February 2022

Codex podcast / investigating GBS ST283 outbreak in freshwater fish

This edition of the Codex podcast highlights how important data collection is for risk analysis. We talk to Dr Tim Barkham from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore who was one of the expert contributors to a recent FAO publication on the risk to human health posed by a strain of Group B Streptococcus, GBS ST283. When, in 2015, over 140 people in Singapore fell ill, investigations led scientists to this bacterium, found in freshwater fish in and around Southeast Asia. The [...]
02 February 2022

Lancet study emphasizes the need to address AMR data gaps

The publication of two Codex standards on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) coincides with a study in the Lancet released on 19 January 2022 that describes AMR as “one of the leading public health threats of the 21st century”. The Lancet study emphasizes the need to address data gaps by expanding data collection which Codex is addressing through its new guidelines on integrated monitoring and surveillance of foodborne antimicrobial surveillance, adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in December 2021. An incredible achievement to [...]
20 January 2022

WTO / new publication recommends land-locked developing countries actively participate in Codex

In line with the SPS Agreement, a new World trade Organization (WTO) publication on easing trade bottlenecks recommends land-locked developing countries (LLDCs) actively participate in the standard-setting processes  – under the Codex Alimentarius, the Organisation for Animal Health and the International Plant Protection Convention – to ensure that WTO sanitary and phytosanitary standards meet their needs. The WTO SPS Agreement sets out the basic rules for food safety and animal and plant health standards. SPS measures are technical in nature and [...]
14 January 2022

WHO launches a new Food Safety Community of Practice

A new WHO Food Safety Community of Practice (COP) will help share knowledge and improve practice on food safety issues. The peer-to-peer online knowledge forum will serve professionals globally who want to improve food safety throughout the food value chain, who seek to deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area and who wish to exchange information and discuss ideas by interacting on an ongoing basis. The COP aims to expand learning potential, share diverse experiences and knowledge, encourage an understanding of [...]
07 January 2022

New Codex Chairperson promises strategic route for Codex placing Members at its centre

In an introductory message to Codex Members and Observers, the new Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Steve Wearne, together with incoming Vice-Chairpersons Allan Azegele, Raj Rajasekar and Diego Varela, has promised the new team of officials will be impartial and deliver “an inclusive, transparent and resilient Codex respected throughout the world for its commitment to consensus-driven and science-based food standards”. The message also underlines the importance of the Codex Strategic Plan and the new team’s commitment to ensuring the Codex [...]
30 December 2021