How can we change but remain the same? Dr Emilio Esteban is Executive Associate for Laboratory Services in the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service, and chairs the Codex Committe on Food Hygiene currently meeting in Chicago USA. As I sit today, living the 49th session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene, I find myself amazed that after 50 plus years of discussion, the objective remains the same, yet, things have changed. On May 1964, nine members [...]

Steve Wearne is Director of Policy and Science Group at the UK Food Standards Agency and In July 2017 he was elected as Vice Chair of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. He also chaired the 2016 Codex physical Working Group on antimicrobial resistance in London.   For Antimicrobial Awareness Week we spoke to Steve about the importance of antimicrobial resistance as an issue, about the agricultural use of antimicrobials, and about national and international action on the issue, of which the work of [...]

Every country needs a good policy on food safety legislation. Liberia launched its National Codex Committee in August of this year in what the Director of County Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Cuallau Jabbeh Howe described as a 'collective effort'. “Every country needs a good policy on food safety legislation, and the Ministry of Health is working in that direction, because we are charged with the responsibility of protecting our citizens in our borders. There is an urgent [...]

Bangkok October 11 2017 In some ways the premise is very simple: build stronger Codex coordination at the country level, use  Codex standards in national legislation, and then begin to influence which standards are developed in Codex to protect the needs of consumers or to seize a particular trade opportunity. However the realty in some countries is that the level of technical knowledge, skills, capacity and resources to actively and effectively participate in Codex is still under development. Countries need buy-in and [...]

Experts meet in Kampala to discuss standards for fresh fruits and vegetables Kampala, 2nd October 2017 – Experts in food and agriculture sector are meeting in Kampala for a week to discuss standards for fresh fruits and vegetables including garlic, potatoes and eggplants, kiwi fruits and fresh dates. Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables This session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV) is co-hosted by the Government of Uganda together with the Government of Mexico. Speaking at the opening [...]

More than 50 standards and 30 new work proposals to be examined at CAC40 More than 600 delegates from over 120 countries will gather in Geneva this week to take important decisions on international food safety standards. Over 50 standards will be examined together with more than 30 proposals for development of new work or revisions of current Codex texts. Highlights Highlights of the meeting include decisions on: Guidelines on nutrition labelling (nutrition information on food packaging for consumers) Code of hygienic practice for fresh fruits [...]

Food safety and food standards are crucial to unlock the potential of an important tool to fight hunger, which is trade. FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.   Trade in food is difficult to imagine without standards. Food standards give confidence to consumers about the safety, quality and authenticity of what they eat. By setting out a common understanding on different aspects of food for consumers, producers and governments, harmonization on the basis of international standards makes trade less costly and more inclusive. [...]

World Food Safety Day will raise awareness of the global threat posed by foodborne diseases and reinforce the need for governments, the food industry and individuals to do more to make food safe and prevent these diseases. Ren Wang Director FAO Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection Yesterday (Wednesday 5th July) the 40th session of FAO Conference adopted a draft resolution, to be transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations with a view to having the General Assembly of the United Nations [...]

If they are to be used, standards will have to keep up with what is happening on the market. Dr Howard Porter, CEO of BEAMA and board member of ORGALIME.   BSI Conference Standards increasingly matter wherever you go and whatever you do. On Thursday 22nd of June, the BSI Group hosted a one day conference in Edinburgh to discuss some of the major questions coming up in the field of standardization. The event gathered standards professionals from 50 countries representing standards bodies, consumer organizations, [...]

We need a food supply system that produces safe food, produces nutritious food, and also produces authentic food, which is free of fraudulent activity. Dr Chris Elliot Food fraud is the intentional adulteration of food for financial gain. This can include deliberate substitution, dilution, counterfeiting, or misrepresentation of food, ingredients or packaging; or even false or misleading statements made about a product. All these examples of fraud can have a negative impact on the quality and safety aspects of foods. They can [...]