Cambodia brought farmers, veterinarians, abattoir workers, agro-chemical and fertilizer vendors, government officials, and other experts together to discuss how to reduce antimicrobial growth promotion use in poultry farms. Convened as a co-creation workshop, the event took place in Tramkak, Takeo province, on 7-8 September 2023. “We used this innovative co-creation approach, where public and private sector stakeholders met face-to-face to determine the next steps, we could take together to solve the use of antimicrobials in poultry farms. This workshop helped to [...]

By Ms Sylvia Kirabo, Head of Public Relations and Marketing for UNBS and Hakim B. Mufumbiro, Regional Coordinator CCAFRICA Policy and decision makers on food safety and Codex activities of the East African Community (EAC) held a meeting on 1 September, hosted by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), which also serves as the national Codex Contact Point in Uganda, resolving to implement 11 actions to improve food safety control and Codex related systems in the region. The high-level participants from [...]

The Codex Secretariat launched today the second survey to measure the use and impact of Codex texts. Building on the lessons learned and the success of the 2022 survey, this year the survey focuses on the General Standard for Food Additives, Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling, Recommended Methods of Analysis and Sampling, and Guidelines on Performance Criteria for Methods of Analysis for the Determination of Pesticide Residues in Food and Feed.Countries are urged to complete the survey by 25 October 2023. “It [...]

Egypt celebrated a milestone: 50 years participating in Codex work, marked by a commitment to the principles and objectives of the joint FAO/WHO programme. Celebrations hosted by Dr Khaled Soufi, Chairperson of the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS) and Codex Egypt, and Dr Ashraf El Gazayerli, Chairperson of the Chamber of Food Industries (CFI), took place in Cairo with the participation of Raj Rajasekar CAC Vice-chairperson, Khalid AlZhrani, CCNE Chairperson, Hakim Mufumbiro, CCAFRICA Coordinator, along with FAO staff. [...]

More than 450 participants in person and online attended the 3rd Global Conference on Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), hosted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of the Republic of Korea on 12 and 13 September 2023 in Seoul. Stakeholders from the food industry, academia and research, regulatory authorities, and international organizations discussed One Health approaches to tackle foodborne AMR. “This conference is an excellent opportunity to share our knowledge and experience in tackling foodborne AMR”, said Dr Yu-Kyoung [...]

An FAO-led meeting took place in Baku, Azerbaijan on 14 and 15 September under the title of “Advancing Food Standards and Codex Participation in Europe and Central Asia”. The two-day event was co-hosted by Azerbaijan’s Food Safety Agency (AFSA), which, in this 60th anniversary year of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, is celebrating its own 5th anniversary. The event was attended by more than 60 participants, including the heads of relevant central executive authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan, representatives of [...]

Codex and FAO officers took part in a training programme organised by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of the Republic of Korea (ROK) focused on Codex work and its impact on food safety and fair trade. The training programme on 14 September featured five speakers from the Food and Agriculture of the United Nations (FAO) and the Secretariat of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Soyeon An, MFDS Deputy Director of the Food Safety Policy Bureau, was among the 50 [...]

The FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Near East (CCNE) will be sending for adoption to Step 5 the regional standard for maamoul. Maamoul is a traditional Middle Eastern baked product, enjoyed by millions in the region and of high relevance for CCNE members: “Having a Codex standard for maamoul is fundamental for the region as it would directly contribute not only to consumer health, but also to promote the trade of this product internationally” - said Khalid AlZharani Chairperson of [...]

Members of the National Codex Committee (NCC) of Nigeria are undergoing capacity development training on the scientific basis of Codex and food safety risk analysis. The training programme, which is funded by the Codex Trust Fund, will improve the technical capacities of NCC members and their knowledge on food safety risk assessment, the risk management framework, risk management activities and risk communication. The training will also improve Nigeria’s capacities to participate effectively in Codex and implement the revised NCC procedural manual. At [...]

Staff of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) joined the global celebrations for the 60th Anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), dressing up accordingly for the occasion. CRN, a stalwart supporter and regular attendee of CAC as well as of other Codex committees, raised a glass of orange juice – a perfect match with the outfits – in recognition of Codex work over the past six decades. wishing for many more years providing food standards, guidelines and codes of [...]