The Directors-General of FAO and WHO, the parent organizations of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, set the stage for five days of decision-making on food standards with a message about getting ‘better’. More than 800 registered delegates joined the first-ever virtual Commission, now in its 43rd session, held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In congratulating the Commission for ‘jumping into the digital world’, FAO Director-General Dr QU Dongyu noted that science is the driving force for setting Codex food standards. “When [...]

At 12:00 CET on Thursday 24 September 2020, the Directors-General of FAO and WHO will welcome over 600 delegates to the first ever virtual session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission - CAC43. Following an overwhelmingly positive response from Member Countries, the two-thirds majority required to ensure the 43rd meeting could go ahead, have affirmed their belief that Codex international food safety standards have a vital role to play for consumers in every home. The standards, guidelines and codes of practice that [...]

Por lo general, en los días previos a la reunión anual de la Comisión del Codex Alimentarius, cientos de delegados emprenderían su viaje, a veces desde el otro lado del mundo, para asistir a una semana entera de sesiones plenarias en Ginebra o Roma. Este año, cuando el 43.° período de sesiones de la CAC dé comienzo el 24 de septiembre de 2020, los preparativos logísticos tendrán más que ver con la conexión wifi y las cámaras web que con visas [...]

El seminario web organizado por la Secretaría del Codex el viernes 11 de septiembre de 2020 contó con la participación de 86 países y la Unión Europea, además de 34 organizaciones observadoras y un número de asistentes que superó las 300 personas. En la apertura del periodo de sesiones, el presidente de la Comisión del Codex Alimentarius, Guilherme Da Costa, de Brasil, rindió homenaje a los puntos de contacto del Codex de todo el mundo, que desempeñan un papel fundamental en [...]

As Codex Members and Observers prepare to take part in the first ever virtual session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which starts on 24 September 2020, the Codex Secretariat has organized a training webinar to prepare delegates for the online meeting. This webinar will take place on Friday 11 September 2020, at 12.00 (CET). Delegates will hear from the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Guilherme Da Costa and from Codex Secretary, Tom Heilandt, how it was possible to arrange for [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic will have an unprecedented impact on global and regional trade. According to the World Trade Organization, world merchandise trade in 2020 could fall by as much as 32 percent. New policy guidance, part of the FAO COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme, describes how the current economic recession is raising serious concerns about hunger and malnutrition. It goes on to explain how ad-hoc trade restrictions, including food safety measures that may not be science based, have worsened the situation [...]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service is recognizing September as Food Safety education Month and encouraging consumers to follow good food safety practices to protect themselves and their families from foodborne illness. The guidance reminds consumers they should follow four simple steps for food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. Read the USDA press release here. Learn more about the four steps at Foodsafety.gov.  

The African Union is hosting a webinar on Wednesday 2 September 14-17h East Africa Time (GMT +3) entitled "Healthy Crops, Safe Food and Thriving Trade: Opportunities for Africa". Click here to download the programme (English), (French). Click here to register. 

On 10 August 2020, the WHO Regional Office for Europe in collaboration with the Eurasian Economic Commission organized a webinar on veterinary drug residues in food of animal origin – a public health issue. Dr Igor Gaevskii, Director of the Department for Sanitary, Phytosanitary and Veterinary Measures, Eurasian Economic Commission opened the webinar. He stressed that veterinary drug residues in food is an issue of concern and that the webinar provided an opportunity to share experiences between countries in East [...]

En un webinario realizado el 14 de julio de 2020, titulado “Joint Action on COVID-19: Boosting our Global Response” [La acción conjunta contra la COVID-19: cómo reforzar nuestra respuesta mundial] se presentaron las siete áreas principales de intervención planteadas por la FAO en respuesta a la crisis de la COVID-19 y transmitió claramente el mensaje de que no es posible continuar trabajando de la manera usual. Si continuamos como siempre, habrá una gran pérdida de vidas. El director general de la FAO, [...]