World Food Day 2023 is celebrated under the theme "Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind". FAO is hosting a week-long series of events from Monday 16 to Friday 20 October welcoming world leaders, experts, changemakers, youth and indigenous activists to spark global action for water, climate action and sustainable agrifood systems. Water is essential for life and it is, indeed, food. But it is also essential in food production and processing. Ensuring that water coming into contact [...]

On 14 October, Egypt joined standard setting organizations in celebrating “World Standards Day” 2023. Dr Khaled Sofi, Chairperson of the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS) and Egyptian Codex, highlighted the importance of this year’s slogan, Shared vision for a better world: Incorporating SDG 3, by recalling that adopting Codex standards as the basis for the national legislation contributes to protecting consumer health within and beyond national borders. “Strengthening food safety systems will enable countries to take measures to [...]

It is with great sadness that we report the loss of one of Codex’ most active delegate. Hajime Toyofuku, Professor at the Yamaguchi University, Japan, and Head of the Japanese delegation to many Codex meetings, from food hygiene to fish and fishery products, passed away in September 2023. In all the sessions of the different Codex Committees he attended, Prof. Toyofuku was always prepared and informed, working towards progress, while also making sure Codex respected its mandate and procedures. “His contribution in [...]

World Standards Day is marked every year on 14 October and in 2023 the theme is: “shared vision for a better world: Incorporating SDG 3”. Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. As the FAO/WHO international food standards setting body, Codex Alimentarius supports the World Standards Day vision for “a world that is better, fairer, and more sustainable, prioritizing the well-being and health of all”. When implemented, international food standards play a vital [...]

As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Codex Secretariat has been talking to experts involved in the work of committees to understand their motivation, their work and their views on the world of Codex in general. At the Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP), which took place in Bordeaux, France from 2 to 6 October 2023, we spoke with Dr Koji Miura, advisor to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, who has been involved [...]

Japan joined the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, by organizing the online symposium “Celebrating 60th Anniversary of Codex Alimentarius Commission – looking 10 years ahead to ensure international food safety,” which was held on the 24th of July, 2023 in Tokyo. The event was opened by the video message by Steve Wearne, Chairperson of Codex Alimentarius Commission followed by two keynote speakers, namely Vittorio Fattori, FAO Food Safety Officer, and  Yukiko Yamada, International Food Safety Consultant. The [...]

Entre los meses de junio y septiembre, el Comité Nacional del Codex Alimentarius de Bolivia, con apoyo de los Fondos Fiduciarios Codex y PANAFTOSA-PAHO/WHO, realizó talleres de sensibilización para el “Fortalecimiento de capacidades en temas Codex Alimentarius” en las ciudades de Trinidad, Tarija, Sucre, Potosí y Oruro. En los diferentes talleres participaron más de doscientos representantes de diferentes Industrias de Alimentos, Laboratorios de Alimentos, Gobiernos Autónomos Municipales, Intendencias Municipales, Gremios Empresariales, la academia y profesionales independientes en áreas relacionadas al Codex. Los [...]

The International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA), an NGO with Observer Status with Codex based in London, UK, celebrated Codex@60 in July by lighting up the building of their Danish member association in orange. We talked to them about why this anniversary is significant for them. Why it was important to mark 60 years of Codex for IADSA? Codex has been critical for our sector by establishing the Codex guidelines on vitamin and mineral supplements and all the horizontal texts, such as additives, labelling, claims, [...]

The 33rd session of the Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP) took important steps towards improving the Procedural Manual, which has been made available in its new format on the Codex Alimentarius website. CCGP33 participants discussed obsolete and outdated content, the guide for amendments and revision for Codex texts and identified other areas for further examination. The Codex Secretariat announced that, aligning with FAO and WHO paperless policies, future editions of the PM will only be available electronically. “CCGP33 was [...]

The first survey on the use and impact of Codex texts, launched on 20 September 2022, reports that the large majority of Codex Members, more than 80 percent, are satisfied with these international food texts. Steve Wearne, Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, welcomed the publication and commented that “Monitoring the use and impact of Codex texts provides key information on how Codex is assisting Members in protecting consumer health and facilitating fair trade practices”. He also underlined that “by adhering to [...]