The 82nd meeting of the Codex Executive Committee (CCEXEC) is being held virtually from 20 to 30 June 2022. However, representatives from the South West Pacific region met in person ahead of the meeting to prepare for and participate in the meeting from a single location. The Regional Coordinator for CCNASWP, Vinesh Kumar from Fiji, accompanied by Fiji’s Codex Contact Point, Susana Levula, travelled to Canberra, Australia, to join the Member for the South West Pacific, Tekon Timothy Tumukon of Vanuatu [...]

In opening remarks to the 82nd session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, taking place virtually from 20-24 June 2022, Maria-Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General FAO recalled the vital role science-based analytical tools and normative work play in providing support to countries, especially in response to the worsening global food security situation due to the pandemic, disasters, conflict and climate change. Maria-Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General FAO “The work you oversee here in the Executive Committee is a key part of [...]

By Hakim Mufumbiro Regional Coordinator for the African Region A total of 12 Member States within the SADC - Southern African Development Community (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe) as well as the SADC Secretariat participated virtually in an online training on the Codex Electronic Working Group Platform and Online Commenting System from 25 to 27 May 2022, as one of the capacity building activities to enhance the skills and knowledge of stakeholders in [...]

Le 9 juin 2022, l’Union européenne (UE) a tenu un groupe de travail sur les questions agricoles et alimentaires internationales et le Codex Alimentarius. Cette réunion s’inscrit dans la continuité des conclusions du Conseil relatives à la participation de l’Union européenne au Codex Alimentarius adoptées par les ministres de l’agriculture de l’UE le 21 février 2022. Cette réunion a marqué le retour aux échanges en présentiel, à Bruxelles, entre délégués des Etats membres de l’UE, le Secrétariat général du Conseil et [...]

The Codex Secretariat has learned of the untimely passing of the former Codex Contact Point for Egypt, Ahmed M. Elhelw. The Regional Coordinator for the Near East (CCNE), Khalid S. Al Zhrani, Saudi Arabia said: “Ahmed was like an energy station of the CCNE family. With his presence, he would light us all up with positivity. His contribution to my life as a guide, and to the Codex family as an active Member will always be appreciated.” Ahmed held a bachelor degree [...]

By Hakim Mufumbiro, Regional Coordinator CCAFRICA On Tuesday, 3rd May 2022 at the Tribe Hotel in Nairobi, the Codex Contact Point (CCP) Officers from Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda met to formally launch the East African Community (EAC) Codex Trust Fund Project for the five countries to pave way for implementation of priority planned activities. The group project seeks to build solid and sustainable Codex systems within the EAC Partner States. The launch and regional workshop was held to mainly [...]

More than 120 delegates gathered online for the opening session of CCEURO32 – the FAO/WHO Regional Coordinating Committee for Europe, the biggest Codex region encompassing 52 Member Countries from Albania to Uzbekistan. The meeting hosted by Kazakhstan but taking place virtually from FAO headquarters in Rome runs from 16 to 20 May 2022 and explores common themes of interest to the region concerning food standards and food control. Vice-Minister of Health Care of Kazakhstan, Doctor Mrs Aizhan Yesmagambetova, Welcoming delegates the [...]

By John Oppong-Otoo, Food Safety Officer at AU-IBAR and Hakim Mufumbiro, Regional Coordinator CCAFRICA A total of 18 Member States (Botswana, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia) met from 20 to 22 April 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda as part of the initiatives to enhance Codex work management within the Member States on the continent. The regional workshop was held to mainly undertake an assessment of the status of operation [...]

By Brandi Robinson, Food and Drug Administration, United States of AmericaChairperson Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food (CCRVDF) Veterinarians have contributed to the development of Codex codes of practice, guidelines, and standards on many topics ranging from animal feeding to contaminants in feed, to residues of veterinary drugs in food, to antimicrobial resistance. With their expertise, veterinarians are integral to the ongoing work of the CCRVD which is charged with developing standards for veterinary drug residues found in food [...]

On 1 April 2022 Miguel Cardo (pictured left) ended his nine year term as Codex Contact Point (CCP) for Portugal. Before handing over Miguel shared his experiences. What did you know about Codex when you started working as CCP? My first Codex meeting as a national delegate was during the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2007 in a food hygiene meeting in New Delhi, India. It was a big challenge, a new world for me, which forced [...]