Handle antibiotics with care Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria change and become resistant to the antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause. It is one of the biggest threats to globalo health, food security and development today. How can antibiotic resistance spread in food? When antibiotics are given to food producing animals or crops, the animals develop drug-resistant bacteria in their gut. These bacteria can then reach humans through food, through the environment or by human-animal contact. World Antibiotic Awareness Week 14-20 November World [...]

Los Angeles USA - 48th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene The Codex Secretariat is commited and dedicated to serving the Codex community Chair Codex Alimentarius Commission In the speech that she delivered at the Official Welcome Reception organised by the United States Codex Office on the occasion of the 48th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene, the Codex Alimentarius Chairperson Mrs Awilo Ochieng Pernet paid tribute to members of the Codex Secretariat for their commitment and dedication to delivering [...]

The food hygiene committee CCFH has been meeting since 1964 and is responsible for drafting basic provisions on food hygiene applicable to all food. People have the right to expect the food they eat to be safe and suitable for consumption. Foodborne illness and foodborne injury are at best unpleasant; at worst, they can be fatal. Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene  Los Angeles - Q&A with Chair Dr Emilio Esteban As the 48th session of the committee begins in Los Angeles, Dr Emilio Esteban, Executive [...]

Maximum residue levels (MRLs) for pesticide residues and residues of veterinary drugs are the maximum concentrations of residues to be legally permitted in or on a food. MRLs for pesticides may also be applicable to animal feeds. MRLs are set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Draft MRLs for adoption by the Commission are elaborated by the relevant Codex committees on pesticides and veterinary drugs, on the basis of international, expert scientific advice. WTO SPS workshop The Chair of the Codex Alimentarius Commission Mrs Awilo Ochieng [...]

In order to strengthen the Codex Alimentarius work in Bolivia, the Bolivian Codex Commitee (CNCA) organized a 2 day symposium involving country authorities, food producers, laboratory experts, exporters, universities, consumers and the Chair of Codex Alimentarius Mrs. Awilo Ochieng Pernet. The symposium demonstrated the work of Codex in Food Safety. First visit of Codex Chair to Bolivia Held earlier this month, the CNCA workshop successfully highlighted the importance of Food Safety and the relevance of Codex work in the country. For this [...]

The Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) began work in 1986 hosted by the USA.  CCRVDF determines priorities for the consideration of residues of veterinary drugs in foods and recommends maximum levels (known as MLs) of such substances. The committee also develops codes of practice and considers methods of sampling and analysis for the determination of veterinary drug residues in foods. We have a number of issues before us that will necessitate careful consideration and broad engagement across the [...]

WORLD FOOD DAY FAO celebrates World Food Day each year on 16 October to commemorate the founding of the Organization in 1945. Events are organized in over 150 countries across the world, making it one of the most celebrated days of the UN calendar. These events promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all. The theme for World Food Day 2016 is “Climate is changing. [...]

In September 2016 the Italian magazine CiBi published an edited version of this article as part of an ongoing collaboration between FAO and CiBi. The CiBi articles aim to raise awareness with the magazine's readership about the different areas of work in FAO. St Anthony's Fire In the Middle Ages a type of food poisoning called ergotism, also commonly known as “St Anthony’s fire”, was prevalent in northern Europe amongst high consumers of rye bread. Eating food contaminated with ergot would lead [...]

The FAO/WHO RCCs provide an incredibly important opportunity for dynamic discussion on major and emerging food safety and quality issues facing the region. There are six Codex regions each represented by a joint FAO/WHO Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC).They meet every two years. Each committee is responsible for defining the problems and needs of the region concerning food standards and food control. By working collectively at the regional level countries are able to highlight regulatory issues and problems arising from food control [...]

The Online Commenting System (OCS) is a new way for Codex members and observers to provide input during the standard setting process. The Codex OCS uses the Please Review software by PleaseTech All users of the OCS, including Codex members and observers can now download the updated OCS user manual, available in English, French and Spanish. The OCS user manual is available at the following page, along with additional training material: http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/ocs/en/  Here are the direct links to the English, French and Spanish versions. For [...]